ગુજરાતી
English
Dilip Patel
The Ahmedabad Nagar Naukar Mandal is staging a protest at the Danapith headquarters over pending demands. A symbolic fast is being observed until the demands are met. The protest is peaceful.
15,000 Valmiki community sanitation workers are being exploited by RWAs that employ them on contract.
The Ahmedabad Nagar Naukar Mandal, carrying banners, is staging a hunger strike for sanitation workers and employees from all departments of the Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation. This protest includes AMTS, CNCD, sanitation workers, and employees from various departments. Bonuses have also been withheld. Contract workers do not receive any compensation for the death of dogs or animals.
Rally
On September 18, 2025, a massive rally was held from the Babasaheb statue in Sarangpur to the Danapith headquarters. Ten thousand employees participated in the rally. The protest, accompanied by slogans, banners, DJs, and trucks, surrounded the Danapith headquarters for over four hours. The employees’ protest caused traffic jams from Danapith to Amadupura and Ellisbridge.
700 employees from the Engineers Association, 1,200 employees from the Manhole Workers Union, Karnavati Mahanagar Palika Mazdoor Sangh, and Malaria General Employees participated in the rally and protested.
Exploitation of Employees
Chandrakant Parmar, acting president of the Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation’s Naukar Mandal, stated that on September 1, 2025, they submitted a memorandum to the Ahmedabad Municipal Commissioner regarding their demands. Their demands were not heard, so on September 18, 2025, the Naukar Mandal organized a massive rally and protested. Many employees are being exploited due to the contract system. We demand direct recruitment of our employees.
Strike
The talks have yielded no concrete results. Along with the peaceful protests, there have been threats of strikes. This is directly impacting sanitation, water supply, and other administrative work.
Support
Six or seven unions, including the Ahmedabad Municipal Malaria Association, the Ahmedabad Municipal Manhole Association, the Health Technicians Association, and the Health Engineers Association, have joined forces and openly supported you.
Recruitment
6,200 sanitation workers were made permanent in 2024. The recruitment process is ongoing.
Demands
1 – Stop the outsourcing of RWAs and appoint 15,000 daily-duty sanitation workers per machine hall as scheduled.
2 – Stop outsourcing contract jobs in hospitals.
3 – Those who have worked as multipurpose workers should be rehired.
4 – Appoint new multipurpose workers.
5 – Provide departmental promotions to Class III and IV hospital employees.
6 – Appoint one employee for every 20 sanitation workers.
7 – Promote employees from among the sanitation workers to vacant positions.
8 – Limit the duty hours of fire department employees to 8 hours instead of 24.
9 – Permanently employ the families of Lal Bachha drivers and conductors who died between 2006 and 2011.
10 – Build new houses for permanent sanitation workers.
11 – Pay employees working on fixed salaries as per state government regulations. According to the regulations, if a sanitation worker works on a contract for 720 days, they must be made permanent.
12 – Pay employees who risk their lives according to the grade pay of the Surat Municipal Corporation.
13 – Double the transport allowance for employees who come twice for cleaning.
14 – Promote the Senior Superintendent of Police and Primary Health Services, as well as Sub-Inspectors and Minor Inspectors.
15 – Implement the 8-hour work rule for employees of the Estate and Urban Development Department.
16 – Assign non-technical supervisors to forced laborers who have been working for years.
17 – Sanitation workers are prone to illnesses, which is why illnesses are more common. They should not be suspended or removed.
18 – Stop the work of machine-hole (manhole) workers, as per the rule of picking up garbage with hands and head.
Violation of the Law
Purushottam Vaghela, director of the Manav Garima Trust, an organization that fights for the rights of sanitation workers, says that under the central government law, the Prohibition of Employment as Manual Scavengers and their Rehabilitation Act, 2013, sanitation workers are prohibited from cleaning sewers. From 1993 to 2013, 386 sanitation workers died after entering underground sewers or culverts. A similar number of deaths are expected in 2025. This is because despite the law, it is not enforced. Despite the rule requiring sewer cleaners to have 44 types of equipment, this is not followed. Small local self-government bodies lack equipment. Gas monitors should be installed to detect toxic gases, but this is not the case. Work should be done during the day, but this is not being followed. Work cannot exceed 90 minutes, but even this is not being followed. Manholes should have adequate ventilation and equipment that sanitation workers can use. A case has been registered under Section 304 of the Indian Penal Code.
No Kits
Contractual sanitation workers do not receive safety kits. The ones provided are not suitable. If a sanitation worker has two pairs of clothes, how can they manage? They have to go to work every day. Even the shoes provided are not suitable.
Contractors’ Protest
On September 9, 2025, a protest was held in Ahmedabad regarding insurance and minimum wages for sanitation workers.
Kedarnath workers stopped cleaning. Contractors from Valmiki Samaj organizations, who clean sewers in the city, stopped their work in the eastern and western areas. Insurance of 30 lakh rupees.
Contractors protested after the removal of PPE kits and the mandatory introduction of biometric attendance.
2022
The Nokar Mandal demanded a uniform pay scale in the Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation and the recruitment of new sanitation workers.
May 2025
Permanent, daily wage, Sakhi Mandal, and outsourced sanitation workers in Junagadh city have resorted to strike and protest after their long-standing problems remain unresolved. A rally was held under the leadership of the Junagadh Safai Kamdar Karmachari Sangh, protesting the contracting of work to companies.
2024
A rally was held in Ahmedabad demanding the complete abolition of the contract system.
Rajula
On September 7, 2025, 150 sanitation workers in Rajula protested. Instead of being given 15 days of work, they demanded 30 days of work and staged a strike and protest. When they protested while cleaning through an agency, they had to face police action.
Nadiad
After Nadiad Municipality was declared a municipal corporation on September 25, 2025, the municipal corporation decided in June to engage 180 contract sanitation workers and employees as contract workers with a state-of-the-art agency. They were pressured to fill out contract forms. The employees strongly protested and went on strike.
Veraval
In March 2025, a protest took place in Veraval, Girsomnath, against the work being done by 350 sanitation workers for a population of 2.5 lakh. A petition with 12-point demands was submitted to the municipal president.
Junagadh
On September 11, 2025, an indefinite strike was launched in Junagadh city over pending issues of sanitation workers.
Surat
In 2024, a protest march was held in Surat to the Municipal Corporation demanding permanent employment for workers who had been working on contract for years.
Mehsana
In 2024, sanitation workers from Mehsana Municipality staged a protest.
Amod
In 2024, sanitation workers from Amod Municipality in Bharuch went on strike demanding several demands.
Jamnagar
In 2024, sanitation workers from the Jamnagar Municipal Corporation’s solid waste department refused to work without safety equipment. The National Safai Karamchari Sangh announced a shutdown of sanitation work. Despite having a road-divider cleaning machine, sanitation workers are being forced to clean the dividers instead of using them.
2022
A massive rally was held in Ahmedabad to highlight seven pending issues of sanitation workers. They formed a morcha (protest), marched to the Municipal Corporation, chanted Ramdhun (the name of the Ramdhun), and staged a violent protest, creating a ruckus.
2019 – Rajkot
In Rajkot, sanitation workers, with blood on their hands, decided to go to the Municipal Commissioner’s office and stage a strike. They protested against the lack of recruitment for 25 years.
2019
In Bhavnagar, 35 organizations of the United Trade Union Forum held a rally from Moti Bagh to Bhagat Singh Ghogha Gate Chowk, raising slogans and demonstrating. The rally demonstrated widespread anger against the government’s anti-labor and anti-employee policies.
2017 – Protests across the state
On October 24, 2017, sanitation workers across the state protested over pending issues. They demanded the permanent status of contract workers. They protested outside the BJP Parliamentary Board meeting near Shantiniketan in Adalaj, Ahmedabad, expressing their anger by blocking traffic. They also raised anti-BJP slogans. In addition to permanent employment, they demanded a salary increase for the employees. They demanded that employees not be hired on contract through outsourcing. They demanded a salary increase.
2016
Instead of the 400 AMTS buses operating on the road, only 200 buses were running, resulting in non-payment of salaries. AMTS President Chandraprakash Dave and other employee unions surrounded AMTS President Chandraprakash Dave for not operating AMTS-owned buses to benefit private bus operators.
Aam Gotla System
In the past, the Aam Gotla system was prevalent. If a sanitation worker fell ill or went on leave, a family member would fill in for him. However, the corporation has now discontinued that practice, leading to the introduction of this contract system.
History
A joint body of elected members and employees of the Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation. It was established in 1930 at the suggestion of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel. Its primary objective was to maintain cordial relations between officials and employees. This is the first time in the history of labor unions worldwide that an employee and labor body was established at the initiative of the employers. Secondly, there is no distinction in membership between municipal officials, elected members, and salaried employees in this body. All are represented in the executive committee. It has a tradition of mutual cooperation in performing their duties.
Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, Dadasaheb Mavalankar, Anandibhai Thakor, Arjun Lala, Chandrakant Daru, D.M. Sant, and Natwarlal Shah have served as presidents of the organization. From 1979 to 2000, Ghanshyam Trivedi served as president, and Dinkar Bhatt as minister.
On August 15, 1942, the organization’s general assembly voted to reinstate the organization.
The Congress supported the 1942 Congress General Committee’s “Quit India” resolution, resulting in the government dismissing the Municipal Board and taking over its management. The Municipal Corporation building, on which Mahatma Gandhi had hoisted the tricolor flag in 1929, was demolished in protest. In September 1942, the Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation…
Company officials and employees began a sit-in protest. A general strike was also held in the city. Approximately 40 employees and three officials who participated in the movement were arrested, punished, and fined.
In May 1980, the Nokar Mandal, with its members gagged, organized a silent procession through Ahmedabad city, a unique moment in the history of Indian labor movements. This procession was held to press for demands such as wage revision, interim relief, payment of salaries every three years, and shift duty for nursing staff. (Google translation from Gujarati)
