Contract employees of the Bangalore Water Supply and Sewerage Board (BWSSB) staged a protest at Cauvery Bhavan here on Wednesday.
Ravi Mohan, general secretary of BWSSB Contract Workers’ Association, told The Hindu that one of the major complaints was that contract workers do not get weekly offs, government holidays, or sick leave, though it is mandated by labour laws. Alleging casteism in the organisation, he claimed there were instances of false cases being foisted on contract workers who were then suspended. He also alleged there was a lot of irregularities as many contract workers were hired without being on any record. The BWSSB’s jurisdictional officials pay them through personal cheques.
To put an end to such practices, the association demanded equal pay for equal work, weekly off and government holidays, 8-hour work days and over-time pay, direct salary disbursal to the bank accounts, bonus, gratuity, and job security.
