East Delhi Municipal Corporation staff warn of strike if salary arrears not cleared

NEW DELHI:  The domestic breeding checkers (DBC) who are working with the vector-borne department of East Delhi Municipal Corporation have threatened to go on strike as the civic body is yet to pay their salary for the last three months. 

"On one hand DBC workers are considered frontline warriors during the pandemic and on the other hand their salaries are pending for months and no intervention is happening from the MCD authorities. Without salary, it is extremely difficult for our families to survive. If by next week the MCD administration does not provide the pending salary of three months, the DBC workers of East Delhi Municipal Corporation will go on strike and sit on a dharna," a letter written by the Anti Malaria Ekta Karmachari Union stated.

"We have been working in the vector-borne department since 1996. Salaries of the past three months - May, June and July - are pending. We requested an appointment with the MHO,  but didn’t receive any response. It is not the first time this has been happening," the letter added.

Madan Pal, a DBC worker and union member, said it is frustrating to raise voice for salary every three or four months. "Even when we are risking our lives, there is no value for our work. At least the administration should understand the situation and ensure salary on time," Pal lamented.