Bhopal (Madhya Pradesh): The indefinite strike of sanitation workers that had run since November 3 under the Akhil Bharatiya Safai Mazdoor Trade Union ended late on Friday night, November 6, after positive talks with Chief Minister Dr. Mohan Yadav and firm assurances on the workers' main demands, following which the union announced the strike was being withdrawn. As soon as the strike ended, a night cleaning campaign was launched in the capital.

Source: Vindhya First

A union delegation reached the Chief Minister's residence under the leadership of Minister of State Krishna Gaur and met Dr. Yadav. Union state president Maganlal Jhanjhot said the delegation placed the workers' main problems before the Chief Minister — regularisation, a wage increase, compassionate appointments and an end to the contract system. The Chief Minister heard all the points seriously and has constituted a high-level committee, which will begin the process on the four major demands within a month, Jhanjhot said.

Source: Vindhya First

Nov 3day the indefinite sanitation strike began
2,550 tonnesgarbage reported accumulated on Bhopal's streets during the strike
1 monthtime in which the high-level committee is to start the process on four main demands
Rs 18,000-19,000monthly wage the union says was agreed for daily-wage workers outside the 10-year regularisation window

According to the points of agreement shared by the union, regulated sanitation workers will be regularised; daily-wage employees who have completed 10 years of service will be brought into the regulated category; workers who do not fall within that 10-year limit will have their monthly wages raised to Rs 18,000 to Rs 19,000; the spouse of a deceased employee will be given a compassionate appointment; and a formal proposal to end the contract system will be sent to the General Administration Department. Prakhar Gyan's report of the same meeting likewise recorded agreement on a wage increase and the start of regularisation, with a target of completing the process in a month.

Source: Prakhar Gyan

The strike had stopped garbage lifting in the capital, leaving piles of waste across neighbourhoods and markets in the middle of the Diwali season; about 2,550 tonnes of garbage accumulated on Bhopal's streets over the three days, Hindi news reports said. With work resuming, the city's cleaning system is expected to be fully back on track from Saturday, and the municipal corporation began a special night cleaning drive on Friday night itself, HBTV News reported.

Source: HBTV News

What happens next rests on the committee's work: the union has said the process on regularisation, wages, compassionate appointments and the contract-system proposal is to start within a month, and workers will judge the settlement by whether those steps actually begin on time.