After Decades of Struggle, Bengaluru’s Sanitation Workers Secure Landmark Victory, Demand Expansion of Rights
‘ಕಸ ಮಹಿಳೆ’ಯಿಂದ ಗೌರವದ ಜೀವನಕ್ಕೆ: ದಲಿತ ಪೌರಕರ್ಮಿಕೆಯರ ಇಪ್ಪತ್ತು ವರ್ಷದ ಹೋರಾಟದ ಫಲ
Bengaluru – In a historic triumph for labor rights, the Pourakarmikas of Bengaluru – the predominantly Dalit women sanitation workers who have kept the city clean for decades – have successfully defeated the exploitative contract labour system, securing permanent employment with the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP). This hard-won victory, the result of over twenty years of relentless organizing and struggle, is now serving as a rallying cry for the regularisation of workers across all sectors in Karnataka and beyond.
The landmark achievement was celebrated at a conference where union leaders and hundreds of workers reflected on the long battle against a system that once kept them in poverty and subjected them to profound social discrimination. The event also saw the release of a booklet detailing the nationwide struggles of sanitation workers.
From Exploitation to Dignity: A Two-Decade Fight
For more than two decades, Pourakarmikas labored under a contract system characterized by paltry wages, severe delays in payment, and the constant threat of arbitrary dismissal. Despite working full-time, many earned a meager ₹2,000 to ₹5,000 per month, a sum that kept them and their families in precarious living conditions.
Their courageous and sustained organizing, backed by civil society organizations and citizens, finally compelled the government to abolish the contract system. Workers have now been formally recognized as regular BBMP employees, receiving a dignified monthly wage of ₹41,000 along with job security.
“The entire country is talking about the victory of BBMP pourakarmikas,” said Nirmala, President of the BBMP Pourakarmikara Sangha. “This victory was built on the relentless efforts of the union and the workers… Now, they are able to live with dignity.” She emphasized that the workforce is largely composed of women from Dalit and backward communities, many of whom are migrants, and that the struggle has fundamentally broken the cycle of fear and exploitation.
A Call to Expand the Victory
The resounding success in Bengaluru has ignited a demand to extend this justice to millions of other contract workers across the state and the country. Leaders at the conference framed the win not just as a labor issue, but as a seminal anti-caste victory.
“The government must not stop with regularising BBMP pourakarmikas alone, but extend regularisation to all workers across sectors in the State,” declared Maniyamma, a leader of the BBMP Pourakarmikara Sangha. Recalling the deep stigma attached to their work, she stated, “Less than a decade ago, pourakarmikas in Bengaluru were treated as less than human, called ‘garbage women’ and ‘garbage men.’ Today, she said, their work commands respect and dignity.”
She credited collective action for the transformation: “Unionising and fighting together has given us dignity and respect that was once denied. All workers across the country must be regularised. We must unite, organise, and collectively struggle against governments to secure our rights.”
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A Model for Nationwide Struggle
The significance of the Pourakarmikas’ victory was highlighted by national union leaders who pointed to its unique nature. V. Shankar, National President of the All India Central Council of Trade Unions (AICCTU), noted, “In many states, workers are still fighting in courts for regularisation. Karnataka stands apart, as pourakarmikas have won through street struggles. This victory must now pave the way for struggles by all other workers who remain unregularised.”
Uday Bhat, President of the All India Municipal and Sanitation Workers Federation, stressed the intersectional nature of the fight, calling it “not only a workers’ struggle but also an anti-caste struggle, against the caste system.”
Looking forward, Clifton, National Vice-President of AICCTU, termed the struggle “historic” and emphasized the need to expand it. He demanded the abolition of the contract labour system for other groups, such as drivers and loaders, and called for the immediate implementation of pending demands for Pourakarmikas, including adequate housing, educational opportunities, and the implementation of the recommendations of the IPD Salappa Committee.
The event, presided over by P.P. Appanna, State President of AICCTU, and attended by over 500 workers, served as both a celebration of a monumental achievement and a clarion call for a broader movement to secure dignity and permanent status for all of India’s workforce.
Key Quotes
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Com. Nirmala: “Earlier, they earned only ₹2,000–₹5,000 a month despite working full-time. Now, they are able to live with dignity with a monthly wage of ₹41,000.”
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Com. Maniyamma: “Less than a decade ago, pourakarmikas in Bengaluru were treated as less than human, called ‘garbage women’ and ‘garbage men.’ Today, our work commands respect.”
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Com. Maniyamma: “Unionising and fighting together has given us dignity and respect that was once denied. All workers across the country must be regularised.”
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Com. V. Shankar: “In many states, workers are still fighting in courts. Karnataka stands apart, as pourakarmikas have won through street struggles.”
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Com. Uday Bhat: “The struggle of pourakarmikas was not only a workers’ struggle but also an anti-caste struggle.”
