Jammu & Kashmir: Casual workers employed in Animal Husbandry department hold protest demand implementation of govt-announced wage hike
26 April 2022: Hundreds of casual workers of the Animal Husbandry department protested outside the department’s head office in Karan Nagar demanding that it immediately implement the hike announced by the Labour and Employment Department raising the daily wages from existing Rs. 225 to Rs. 300 per day. Casual workers in the Animal Husbandry Department make Rs.100 per day which as remained unchanged since 1994 while wage hike has already been implemented in all the other 24 departments of the government.
Maharashtra: Contract transport workers embark on flash strike across depots in Mumbai city over non-payment of wages
22 April 2022: Drivers of wet-lease contract buses of Brihanmumbai Electric Supply & Transport Undertaking (BEST) went on a flash strike at multiple depots across Bombay against the non-payment of wages for last 3-months by MP Group, the private contractor firm operating BEST’s buses. The two-day strike forced BEST officials to accept wrong-doing by the contractor, and initiate action against the contractor for breaching terms and conditions of the contract.
Zomato delivery workers strike against new ‘GIGS’ payment system that significantly reduces earnings, intensifies exploitation
Karnataka:
18 April 2022: Zomato workers in Bengaluru went on strike by ‘logging-of’ from the app in protest against the introduction of the ‘GIGS’ payment system which has significantly reduced their monthly earnings. The striking workers staged a protest at HSR Layout and demanded Zomato rollback the new payment system which has intensified their exploitation. They also demanded worker status for delivery partners, and that the state regulate food delivery platforms by bringing in a law. In March, 2022 delivery workers in Thiruvananthapuram had also gone on strike against Zomato’s new payment system.
Jharkhand:
08 April 2022: Around 400 delivery workers of Zomato went on an indefinite strike in Jamshedpur protesting against new payment system rolled out by the app-based delivery company. The new system called ‘GIGS’ forces workers to make more deliveries to avail the same incentives, while reducing the pay-out per delivery. Negotiations with Zomato management did not make headway while the mangement retaliated to the strike by cancelling the IDs of over 20 delivery workers. The striking workers are demanding reinstatement of workers’ IDs, and rollback of ‘GIGS’ system to the old rate and pricing system, as well as recognition as ‘workers’ instead of ‘delivery partners’.
Uttar Pradesh: Anganwadi workers protest demanding immediate release of 12-months pending wages, regularisation as govt employees
24 April 2022: Anganwadi workers from across Uttar Pradesh assembled in Lucknow to protest against non-payment of their wages for the past 12 months, which has pushed their families to the verge of starvation. Other scheme workers like Mid-day meal workers and ASHA workers are also facing a similar situation as their wages also haven’t been released for several months by the state govt. Workers have demanded immediate release of their wages failing which they would launch an indefinite strike action.
Karnataka: Contractual Forest department workers hold protest demanding payment of pending wages, end to outsourcing
11 April 2022: Contractual daily-wage workers of the Karnataka Forest Department went on strike and held a protest outside its headquarters in Bengaluru demanding immediate payment of wages pending for last 4 months. Besides this immediate demand, they also pressed that the department withdraw its 2017 order regarding outsourcing of work to a manpower agency rather than hiring workers directly. The outsourced workers do not get paid the statutory minimum wage, nor are they provided PF and ESI facilities.
Tamil Nadu: Fixed-term frontline healthcare workers demand continuation of service, regular jobs at government hospital
04 April 2022: Contractual healthcare workers at Government Rajaji Hospital protested against their termination by the management effective from 31 March 2022. Workers demanded that they be reinstated and that they be given jobs by filling existing vacancies in government hospitals. These workers were hired on a fixed-one-year contract through a manpower agency at the height of India’s first Covid-19 wave to combat the severe crisis of healthcare workers.
