DA news: Sanitation workers with Haryana municipalities will be under state ambit, to get dearness allowance, gratuity

The Haryana government will bring sanitation workers on municipal rolls under the state's contractual employees' law, giving them job security and other benefits, such as dearness allowance and gratuity, PTI reported citing an official statement.

The ‘in-principle’ decisions from the Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini government came as workers have been on strike since 6 August, leaving heaps of garbage unattended at multiple places, as per the report. It added that they are pushing for a number of demands, including permanent employment.

The official statement was released on Saturday, 5 September, as per the report.

What are the benefits for sanitation workers?

As per the Haryana Contractual Employees (Service Security) Act, 2024, employees are entitled to DA, death-cum-retirement gratuity and maternity leave, with tenure secured till 60 years of age — benefits broadly at par with other regular employees under the same ambit, the statement added.

Further, it has also been decided that risk allowance will be hiked to ₹2,000 per month and workers will be paid 15% additional amount over and above as prescribed by the Act, it said.

There are 13,093 sanitation workers on municipal rolls in urban local bodies across Haryana at present, paid ₹20,590 per month — ₹19,000 as salary and ₹1,590 as allowances, as per the report.

Under the Act, sanitation workers will now also receive DA, gratuity, maternity leave, and be entitled to ex-gratia financial assistance and ex-gratia appointment under Haryana Kaushal Rozgar Nigam (HKRNL), the statement added.

Further, sanitation workers who have been employed by municipalities for over 10 years will have their remuneration hiked to ₹25,560 — comprising ₹21,970 as salary, ₹2,000 as risk allowance, and ₹1,590 as other allowances, it said.

Haryana sanitations workers strike: Key updates

• Notably, sanitation workers in Haryana, who have been on strike for the past month demanding regularisation of contractual employees. The strike is expected to continue till Wednesday, 9 September (tomorrow), as per another PTI report.
• The state had on 2 September warned protestors that legal and departmental action would be taken for “absent without notice or permission” if they did not resume work by Saturday. The direction was sent to all municipal corporation commissioners and district municipal commissioners, it said.
• So far, the protesters have rejected various offers made by the government, insisting on regularisation of their services, the report added. On Friday, 4 September, many tonsured their heads, alleging that the government is adopting repressive policies.

• “All tactics employed by the government to crush the sanitation and fire employees' legitimate movement, discredit them, and instill fear among the staff have failed completely. Despite police repression, false cases, arrests, suspensions, and dismissals, the employees' morale remains high. They are firmly resolved to continue the struggle until their demands are met,” Naresh Kumar Shastri, state president of the Nagarpalika Karamchari Sangh, said in a statement.
• He added that ‘Jan Nyay Panchayats’ will be organised across all districts of the state from 10-12 September and a state-level ‘Jan Nyay Panchayat’ will be held in Kurukshetra on 13 September to formulate a strategy to decisively intensify the agitation.
• The body has appealed to all social organisations and people of the state to support the movement of sanitation, sewer, and fire department employees.

(With inputs from PTI)