Safai workers of Bihar are on a statewide strike since Augus
t 27, 2022. Workers from all municipalities are taking part in this. In Patna Municipal Corporation itself, around 40,000 workers are involved in the strike.
The strike has been organized by Bihar Local Bodies United Sangharsh Morcha and Bihar State Permanent Bodies Employees Federation. They have gone on indefinite strike in support of their 11 point demands. Their demands include that contract workers should be given wages at par with regular workers.
Patna Municipal Corporation is using JCB machines to remove the garbage. Despite this, there are reports that door-to-door garbage removal, road cleaning and repair work have been badly hit in Patna and other cities.
The wages of contract workers are only about one-third of the wages of regular workers. The safai workers have been agitating for many years for their demands and now they are determined to intensify their struggle. The safai workers are demanding equal pay for equal work and for better working conditions. These demands are fully justified.