DMCEWU to cease work from Oct 11 if salary is kept pending
Morung Express News
Dimapur | October 1
Dimapur Municipal Council Employees Welfare Union (DMCEWU) informed that it would be compelled to go ahead with the proposed ‘Cease Work’ agitation from October 11. Briefing the media on the issue of withheld salary, on October 1, DMCEWU President, T Revo Anar said that the state government has yet to act on the union’s request for releasing pending salaries.
Earlier, on September 12, the union had submitted a memorandum to the state government, warning of ceasing work if the salaries are not released within 10 days. But even after the lapsing of the 10-day deadline by almost three weeks, Anar said that the salaries for July, August and now, September remain withheld.
He said that the union would have gone ahead with the agitation as informed earlier, but held it back on the request of the Dimapur civil society. Anar said, “If the Dimapur Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) had not approached us with a request to delay the ‘cease work’ agitation, we would have ceased work. The CSOs approached us on September 16 telling us that they would take up the matter with the government.”
The CSOs, comprising— Dimapur Urban Council Chairman Federation, Naga Council Dimapur, Dimapur Sadar GB Union, Dimapur Naga Women Hoho and Dimapur Naga Students Union, could finally meet the Chief Secretary on September 28.
A representation, outlining the DMC’s financial crunch as a result of the government barring collection of tolls, which took effect in May 2022, was also submitted to the CS.
Without elected representatives, the DMC has failed to meet a crucial criterion to be eligible for funding from the Central government. While municipal bodies in other states are able to generate good revenue from property tax, there is no such avenue for the DMC, the representation said.
As a result, the burden of running the civic body has entirely been shouldered by revenue accumulated from tolls and services.
Besides highlighting the financial difficulties the employees have been facing since salaries were withheld, it also highlighted the ramifications of municipal employees ceasing work in relation to garbage management. The Dimapur municipal area is approximated to generate around 120 metric tonnes of waste per day.
Given the grave situation, the CSOs appealed that it would be prudent on the part of the state government to bail out the DMC from the predicament.
Meanwhile, Anar informed that the DMCEWU held a meeting on September wherein it was decided that an Emergency General Meeting will be held on October 10. It further resolved to go ahead with the ‘Cease Work’ agitation from October 11 if the Government fails to fulfill its demand on or before October 10.
