ISLAMABAD- Private sanitary workers, collecting domestic solid waste from different sectors of the city on daily basis, are allegedly being exploited by Metropolitan Corporation Islamabad contractors due to their uncertain and insecure job status.
The sanitary workers have complained about the poor working conditions and inhumane attitude of their bosses who ask them to work for extra hours without any over time.
A sanitary worker at G-7 requesting anonymity said that the existing contract system was encouraging their exploitation at the hands of the MCI contractors who usually threaten them to cut their wages if anyone dared to raise voice against their highhandedness.
“We are getting Rs15,000 per month, out of which around Rs2,000 is taken by the inspectors of our contractor and if we refuse to pay the extortion, we are told to leave the job,” the worker alleged.
He alleged that the workers in his area could not sell the material, collected after segregation, to the scrap dealer of their own choice.
“We are asked to sell such material on the designated shops that purchase it on half rates of the market price,” he added. Another worker at G-8 requesting not be named due to his job security said that they were not provided safety equipment and also denied health and other benefits including vacations, insurance schemes, rest days and pensions, adding that they were working under extremely hazardous and life-threatening conditions.
He demanded weekly off for them without their salaries cut so that they could also give time to their families on weekend.
A lady sanitary worker at G-7/1 also requesting anonymity said that the female staff was also facing issues with the contractors and regretted that they were even deprived of maternity leaves.
MCI Director Sanitation Sardar Khan Zimri said that he could not say that everything was going well. Admitting misconduct of some supervisors, he said that the department had already taken action against some fraudulent elements and black sheep.
When contacted, a supervisor, who was blamed of getting bribes, rejected such allegations.