Bonus Is a Right, Not Charity!
Contractual Sanitation Workers Demand One Month’s Salary as Bonus!
As Diwali is approaching, contractual sanitation workers in different parts of the country are raising their voice demanding rightful bonus in stead of the pitiful meagre amount disbursed before Diwali. Payment of Bonus Act, 1965 specifically stipulates the provision of minimum and maximum bonus. Under minimum bonus, which is mandatory irrespective of the profit of the institution, the employers are supposed to pay 8.33% of the wages in the accounting year which amounts to one month’s salary. Like many other legal rights of the contractual workers, this right too continue to be violated rampantly all over the country. Even the minimum bonus is not disbursed to workers. Instead of the legally stipulated bonus, most of the employers disburse a meagre amount causing further humiliation to the sanitation workers.
Sanitation workers organised under the banner of AICCTU have held demonstrations in different states demanding the legally stipulated bonus.
Contractual sanitation workers organised under the banner of AICCTU from Sengottai municipality of Tamilnadu held their protest demanding one month’s salary as bonus on October 24th. Under pressure from the protest of workers, the contractor Raman & Co assured AICCTU leaders that the bonus will be provided within 24 hours. But despite such assurance, the legally stipulated bonus was not dispersed. Along with demanding one month’s salary as Bonus, the workers of Sengotti Municipality have also demanded implementation of legally mandated minimum wages, provision of ESI, PF, necessary equipments for sanitation work, battery operated cart and deployment of enough labour force to lower the burden of over work imposed on them.
Similarly, sanitation contract workers of AICCTU in Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu, joining hands with other organisations (Sanitation Workers Welfare Association and Tamil Pulikal sanitation workers and drivers association) and formed a platform called the “Power Voice” and demanded 8.33 percent bonus and 11.67 percent as ex-gratia. Some hundreds of workers went on strike and demonstrated in front of the Collector office. The police arrested hundreds of workers on the third day. Finally, the collector was forced to negotiate with workers and promised to increase the bonus. But, the contractor only paid Rs 4000 as ex-gratia. Even three rounds of talks in the presence of the Collector failed to resolve the issue but for an increase of around Rs 1000 – 1500 as bonus. The struggle to get the mandatory maximum bonus of 20 percent is being waged in other forms now.
On October 22nd, workers organised under AICCTU from JNU and centrally run hospital complex like LHMC, RACKON and Kalwati Saran held a protest demonstration at the office of Chief Labour Commissioner in Delhi demanding intervention of the office in ensuring one month’s salary as bonus to the contractual sanitation workers.