Bound by a 1997 contract, PMPML administration were to provide three uniforms per year to the conductors, drivers, workshop staff, security guards, peons and women employees; union claims they have not received any uniforms in the past six years
Workers at the Pune Mahanagar Parivahan Mahamandal Limited (PMPML) have decided to put an end to the failed assurances given to them by the administration over their uniforms. Going by a 1997 contract between the workers’ union and the administration, the workers were promised three uniforms per year, but have not received any in six years now.
Uniform trouble: The union will wait for one more month and if the uniforms are not distributed to all the workers till then, they have threatened to go on strike. representation pic
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“Our requests to the PMPML administration has fallen on deaf ears. They do not want to consider our demand, which is legal according to the 1997 contract. We have reminded them several times and also sent them official letters requesting to give us our uniforms but it has all gone in vain,” said Rajendra Kharade, president of the union.
“It is the administration’s responsibility to provide uniforms to their employees immediately, as currently all the workers are wearing self- purchased uniforms. Looking at it economically, the income of these workers is not high enough for them to afford duty uniforms, which often get dirty while working,” added Kharade.
On December 24, last year, the administration put up a notice board warning the staffers that if they were found without their duty uniforms, they would be fined Rs 300.
“This is ridiculous and simply unacceptable. On the one hand, the administration is not giving us uniforms and on the other hand they are putting up such notices. This shows how badly they are treating their own employees. The union will wait for one more month and if the uniforms are not distributed to all the workers till then, we will call for a strike and do chakka jam andolan,” said Nuruddin Inamdar, union secretary.
Speaking to MiD DAY, one of the conductors, on condition of anonymity, said, “It is very difficult to manage with only one uniform, so we need to have at least 2-3 sets. A new uniform set costs us around Rs 500, so we go to Junna Bazaar market and buy old uniforms at a cheaper rate. I hope we get our uniforms from the administration soon, so that our own money will be saved.”
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