The union has sought reinstatement of 884 anganwadi workers whose services were terminated by the Delhi government in March
The union has sought reinstatement of 884 anganwadi workers whose services were terminated by the Delhi government in March
After being fired from her job as an anganwadi worker by the Delhi government in March, Anita, a widow and a mother of two children, is struggling to make ends meet.
The 35-year-old, who earned her living as an anganwadi worker for 15 years, now works as a domestic help in three houses. “Still, I’ve had to borrow about ₹30,000 from my relatives since March. Many anganwadi workers like me are suffering,” says Anita.
The Delhi State Anganwadi Workers and Helpers Union (DSAWHU) on Thursday announced that 22,000 anganwadi workers, their relatives and friends will boycott both the BJP and AAP in the upcoming Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) elections.
The union’s key demand is the reinstatement of 884 workers like Anita, whose services were terminated by the Delhi government for going on a strike and boycotting work for 38 days earlier this year demanding an increase in their salary, among other issues
“We had filed an appeal in the Delhi High Court in this matter. The case is pending and the court has imposed a stay on any fresh recruitment to replace these 884 terminations,” said Shivani Kaul, president, DSAWHU.
She warned that the union will again go on a strike and boycott work if the Delhi government does not heed its demands.
“Every anganwadi worker in Delhi has pledged to impose a complete ban on the entry of candidates and workers of these two parties [BJP and AAP] in their respective areas. Today, these two are trying to sling mud at each other to win the MCD polls. However, when it comes to repression of workers’ rights, both are seen hand in hand,” Ms. Kaul added.
She also said that the Delhi government’s spending on advertisement in the past 10 years has increased 44 times. Ms. Kaul said that the government faces no fund crunch while announcing big salary hikes for the city’s MLAs but is not ready to pay the minimum wages to anganwadi workers.
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