MCG contractual staff end strike, big protest on cards

Gurgaon: The contractual workers sacked by the Municipal Corporation of Gurgaon (MCG) concluded their three-day hunger strike on Thursday. The protesters said they were planning to hold a large-scale agitation if the order of sacking them is not withdrawn soon.
They will stage another protest on Friday under the banner of the MCG workers’ union and take out a march in the city in solidarity with the contractual workers sacked by the civic body. MCG has recently sacked more than 500 contractual workers of different posts.
“It is unfair that MCG sacked the contractual workers without giving any prior notice. It is a difficult time because of the pandemic and they won’t get other jobs at this time. Moreover, many among them have worked for years with the corporation and are finding it difficult to look for another job due to their age. We are going to hold a march tomorrow starting from the old MCG office till the Civil hospital,” said Rajesh Kumar, district president of the workers’ union.
As many as 177 guards, 89 computer clerks, 45 pump operators, 38 pump attendants and 31 peons are among the contractual workers who were sacked. “We will take the protest to the state level along with our union and workers who have been sacked. It is unfair that people who worked for the public during the pandemic were sacked,” Naresh Malkat, secretary of the workers’ union.
Kumar added that if the workers are not given any relief, their last resort would be to go on an indefinite strike along with sanitation workers, pump operators and other workers, which will eventually impact residents.
MCG had sacked these employees stating that they had excess manpower and they had received clerks from the state government.