Haryana sanitation workers' strike to continue as regularisation talks hit deadlock

The sanitation workers’ strike across Haryana will continue after talks between the state government and employees’ representatives failed to break the deadlock over their key demand for regularisation, prolonging an agitation that has disrupted garbage collection across several cities and towns. A meeting between the government and the Municipal Employees Union Haryana was held in Kurukshetra on Saturday, with Minister Krishan Bedi representing the state. While the government claimed substantial progress had been achieved, the union refused to withdraw its more than two-week-old strike and said it would now seek a meeting with Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini.

The government said it had accepted almost all the workers’ demands in principle and expressed concern over the inconvenience caused to residents because of the continuing strike.

Regularisation remains sticking point

The principal disagreement concerns regularisation of sanitation workers and fire service employees working on municipal rolls.

According to the government, legal opinion is being sought on whether these employees can be regularised. In the meantime, it has offered to bring them under the Haryana Contractual Employees (Service Security) Act, 2024, providing them job security until the age of 60 and benefits broadly comparable with those available to regular employees.

Bedi said an understanding had been reached on 13 of the union’s 14 demands. Regularisation, however, remained unresolved.

For the union, that single unresolved issue is central to the agitation.

Municipal Employees Union Haryana president Naresh Shastri said the workers would continue their strike until the government took a concrete decision on regularisation and abolition of the contract employment system.

He also alleged that some employees were forced to wait as long as six months to receive their salaries despite performing essential civic services.

The union now plans to approach Saini directly and place its demands before him.

Government offers higher benefits

The state has offered a series of concessions in an attempt to resolve the dispute.

It has agreed in principle to provide sanitation workers a risk allowance of Rs 2,000 per month. The government has also proposed increasing compassionate assistance from Rs 5 lakh to Rs 10 lakh.

Compensation of Rs 50 lakh has been proposed in cases of death and Rs 25 lakh for permanent disability.

The government is also considering providing an additional 15 per cent over the applicable minimum salary. Sanitation workers on municipal rolls currently receive Rs 19,000 a month, and the state has considered raising this to Rs 21,000.

If brought under the Haryana Contractual Employees (Service Security) Act, the workers would also become eligible for benefits including annual salary increments, death-cum-retirement gratuity and maternity leave.

Other proposed benefits include ex-gratia financial assistance and provision for ex-gratia appointments through the Haryana Kaushal Rozgar Nigam.

Despite these offers, the union maintained that enhanced benefits could not substitute its demand for permanent employment.

Garbage piles up

The prolonged strike has begun to have a visible impact across Haryana, particularly on door-to-door waste collection and the lifting of accumulated garbage.

Heaps of uncollected waste have appeared in markets and other public areas in several parts of the state as municipal sanitation operations remain disrupted.

The government acknowledged that the agitation was causing inconvenience to the public and urged workers to reconsider their position in view of the concessions offered.

At the same time, it warned against striking employees preventing others from carrying out sanitation work.

The government said employees had the right to protest but could not obstruct colleagues willing to perform their duties. Any attempt to prevent sanitation work would be unlawful and could invite action, the official statement said.

Union seeks CM meeting

Bedi maintained that the government remained willing to resolve the dispute through dialogue and pointed to the agreement reached on most of the demands as evidence of progress.

The union, however, has made clear that the strike will not end merely on the basis of concessions on allowances and employment benefits.

With regularisation and abolition of contractual employment still unresolved, the two sides remain divided on the issue at the heart of the agitation.

Attention will now turn to whether the proposed meeting between union representatives and Saini can produce a breakthrough. Until then, sanitation workers have said their statewide strike will continue.