BENGALURU: The issue of non-payment of wages, which had triggered strong protests in the middle of the second wave of Covid-19, has come back to haunt crematoria workers in the city. Many of them have not been paid for more than three months.
The BBMP official concerned, however, argued that the payments for two crematoria have now been cleared and workers will receive the money soon. He did not have details of the other 10 crematoria.
Ravi N, a worker at Sumanahalli electric crematorium, told TOI: “My family has been working in crematoria for generations. I was born in a crematorium and have been working at Sumanahalli crematorium for 11 years. I have not been paid for three months. Since the start of the pandemic, we have been given just one PPE kit. We also require other safety gear such as gloves and boots even when we are not dealing with a Covid death.”
A Suresh, state president of Ambedkar Dalitha Sangharsha Samiti, which represents crematoria workers, said that after they raised the issue several times, salaries were paid last year. “Things have now gone back to square one. Many workers at electric crematoria across Bengaluru have not been paid in over three months. In some cases, they have not been paid for nearly 11 months,” he said, adding that the employees have worked round the clock during some of the most difficult times the city has witnessed.
Pointing out that it is not easy for these workers to quit their job and find another one, he said, “Not many people hire them after finding out where they have been working. They also do not have other skills.”
‘We have no other choice’
“I have been working at Panathur crematorium since 2015 but have been paid for only two years. In 2018, it was made clear we are supposed to be paid minimum wage. We have no other choice and we continue to work. Families who come here tip us and sometimes buy us a cup of tea. This is how we have been living for over three years now,” said Girish KN.
He added that during the peak of the second wave, workers were told to even make the bier for which they would be reimbursed. “We still haven’t been reimbursed,” Girish said.
