6-point demand: N'ganj sanitation workers confront Ivy on NCC premises

The Narayanganj City Corporation's sanitation workers staged a protest on Tuesday to press home their six-point demand.

As part of the protest they threw dirt inside the main gate of the city corporation and on NCC vehicles.

NCC Mayor Selina Hayat Ivy came out of her office and tried to calm down them down but the protesters started agitating in front of her.

 Prior to this, the workers took positions in front of NCC premises since yesterday morning to voice their demand.

 "The salary has been Tk8,000 and the house rent will be Tk5,000. There is no problem in agitating against me, but blocking, shouting slogans, how dare you show the courage to throw dirt? What kind of behaviour is this?" Ivy asked the protestors.

Hearing the mayor's words, the protesters started shouting at her.

Hafizul Islam, a labour leader and district CPB president, said, "In Switzerland, if a sanitation worker works for an hour, he gets $3,000. Not only that, when someone is appointed there, they are given appointment letters and guaranteed education of the children and treatment of family members."

Kishore Lal, general secretary of the NCC Workers' Union, said there are at least 1,240 sanitation workers in the area who do not have an appointment letter. "Does anyone's family run with a salary of only Tk1,500 to 2,000?"

Mayor Ivy told reporters: "In a planned manner, they have shown such audacity at the instigation of a group. Their (workers') salaries have increased. It is awaiting implementation due to the financial crisis. I know very well who is behind their behavior."

Earlier on Monday afternoon, the activists formed a human chain in front of Narayanganj Press Club to press for their six-point demand.

 NCC Workers Union also submitted a memorandum to the prime minister in favour of their demands, including an increase in the salary and allowances of the employees.

The six-point demands are issuance of appointment letters to the workers under the Bangladesh Labour Act 2006, employment of all the sanitation workers working in Narayanganj City Corporation, minimum daily attendance of Tk650 for employees and Tk750 for truck workers, payment of Eid or Puja bonus equivalent to each worker's salary, appointment of two domes in each ward, and finally if a worker is killed in an accident while cleaning the NCC area, he should be given a compensation of Tk1 00,000; if they die naturally, they should be given Tk50,000 instead of the previous allocation of Tk5,000 for casting or burial.