West Bengal: First Domestic Workers’ Union Registered in the state
17 June 2018: Paschimbanga Griha Paricharika Samiti (PGPS) received its trade union registration certificate from the State government. This is the first domestic workers’ union to be registered in the state. PGPS had applied for registration in 2014.
On 16 June, the International Domestic Workers’ Day, more than 2,000 domestic workers hit the streets of Kolkata to celebrate recognition of Paschim Banga Griha Paricharika Samity (PGPS) as a trade union by the West Bengal government.
Mumbai: Permanent jobs for 2,700 Mumbai sanitation workers
20 June 2018: In a major victory for Kachra Vahatuk Shramik Sangh and its 2,700 contract safai members in the BrihanMumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis directed the civic body to implement the Supreme Court order of granting permanency to these workers within three months.
BMC first dragged its feet in implementing the order, then when pushed, regularized 1600 of the workers. Of these 1600, 1409 mostly illiterate dalit workers, have been denied permanency by the BMC due to the difference in spelling of their names in the Supreme Court order and their IDs. This discrepancy is due to the fact that none of the workers can spell their name in English and hence in both cases some. The issue came to fore when a Maharashtra person else had spelt their names.
