Over 15,000 temporary frontline workers protest job loss

Hundreds of protesters had assembled at Azad Maidan on January 15. A handful of them have stayed put at the site. Pics/Ashish Raje

0 Thousands of contractual workers hired for sanitation and other work when the pandemic was at its peak have launched a protest alleging the government has terminated them. The frontline workers from across Maharashtra, many of whom are staying put at Azad Maidan, said they were once called Corona warriors by the prime minister, but have been conveniently forgotten just before the vaccination drive began.

The protesters, who hail from different parts of Maharashtra, are fighting under the banner of Corona Yodha Karmachari Parishad

The temporary employees want the government to hire them back as well as include them in the vaccine delivery programme. Since December 31, the temporary workers said, they started receiving messages about discontinuation of their services. While the government had engaged about 15,000 such workers after April, the number went further in later months.

Pramod Kate, the president of ‘Corona Yodha Karmachari Parishad' which is spearheading the protest, said he was appointed as a multipurpose at a facility in Byculla. While he has not received the message, he said, "Apart from permanent jobs as per qualification, we also want risk allowance, preference in future recruitment, financial assistance and employment for one family member of each of those who were felled by the virus."

Kate said they have written to the chief minister, deputy CM, health minister and other authorities raising their demands. Sudarshan Angnekar, Mumbai head of the protesters, was taken in as a telephone operator in L-ward to provide information about availability of beds in hospitals, arrange doctors for and ambulances for patients.

"It is true that we were hired as a temporary force but keeping in mind the work we did, the government must think about us. We did not get the salary on time, and the R300 daily allowance was not paid. Still, we worked hard. We all belong to the middle-class. Without jobs, our families will starve," said Angnekar.

Swarna Tangre said she worked as a doctors' assistant at a Dahisar COVID centre. She told mid-day, "We have been removed on the grounds that corona is gone and there are no patients. If it is really over, then the government should tell the public accordingly. We were applauded when needed and now that the work is done, they asked us to go."

Another protester, Sarika Katkar, said she was terminated on December 31. "We were told through a message that we were not needed since the dry run for the vaccine has started. All our pleas fell on deaf ears." Katkar said she felt dejected when she asked to go after taking so much risk for 9 months. "People like us need the vaccine more than others, but see what they have done."

Dec 31
Date when the termination messages started arriving

APR
Month last year when govt began hiring the workers