Water crisis looms large as contract labourers go on strike

PONDA: The cash-starved public is likely to face shortage of water in the coming days as the PWD Contract labour force has gone on an indefinite strike. They are protesting in front of the OPA Water works, as well as PWD water Supply Divisions and all offices at various places.

The trade union leader Swati Kerkar who led the agitation said since the last one year, the government, including the Chief Minister and the PWD Minister were ignoring the contract labourers'  demand to absorb them. The situation has forced them to strike work for an indefinite period. If there is no government intervention, the common man will suffer as the water supply will come to a naught. "We had given three days' notice to the government before we had decided to begin our strike. However, nobody seemed to be bothered," she said. 

There are over 1,230 labourers under the contract scheme in the PWD who are being paid a meagre salary. She said even a Supreme Court order has made provision to get them absorbed if they had an unbroken stint of 5 years. 

Geeta Gavde a labourer under contract at Opa Plant told the media that there were labourers who have been working relentlessly for the last 15 years and are paid a meagre salary by the contractor even less than the minimum wage and that some are receiving between Rs 4000 and Rs 5000 per month. 

She said on humanitarian grounds, the government should absorb them under government service. Despite assurances since past 8 months, they were kept waiting. We want the government to absorb them at least under the PWD Labour Society so that they will get some relief and better salaries.

Damug Gavde said our children and families are suffering due to meagre payment since past more than 15 years working under contract. We made several pleas since but they have failed to evoke any response.

Assistant Engineer at OPA Water Plant Sudeer Parab said that there are around  200 workers at OPA Plant out of which 75 workers under the contractor at OPA Project have gone on strike today. The Operation of OPA Plant to release water and other mechanical functions involves round the service for 24 hours. With shortage of labourers, we are left with not much option.  

For unskilled labourers Rs 307 is the declared wage but they actually get Rs 215. For semi-skilled it is Rs 368, for skilled labourers it is Rs 423 but on hand they get Rs 266. For the highly skilled it is pegged at Rs 465 but they get around Rs 287. Even though we work under Contract, the workers involved in running the mechanical and other operations are pressed into service to repair the plant even on their weekly offs and holidays. "Despite working so hard, our pleas have always fallen on deaf ears," the disgruntled workers said.