Over a hundred sanitary workers in Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (HMC) have turned to the Sindh High Court (SHC) for relief after losing their jobs.
The 109 petitioners, including Muhammad Kamran Qureshi, Arshad Masih, Nazeer Masih, and Fozia Nazir, among others, claimed that they had faithfully served the corporation for approximately 16 years, from 2007 until Mayor Kashif Shoro terminated them on August 11.
These workers allege that despite being initially hired as sanitary workers, they were assigned duties as watchmen, gardeners, and Naib Qasid. They contend that their dismissals were unjustified.
They informed the court that prior to making them redundant, office orders were issued on May 17 and May 31, which aimed to reschedule their employment contracts for 11 months.
Furthermore, they claim that the corporation failed to pay them the minimum wage of Rs25,000 per month, receiving only Rs19,000 as their monthly salary. In the two-page office order for the terminations, issued by the Municipal Commissioner Anees Ahmed Dasti, it was stated that 207 sanitary workers had been appointed on a contract basis through a letter dated May 17. Dasti contended that these positions were filled without prior approval from the finance department.
He argued that since the Sindh Solid Waste Management Board (SSWMB) had been assigned the responsibility of waste disposal in the HMC's jurisdiction, such a large workforce was unnecessary for the corporation.
In response, the petitioners claimed that new workers had been hired for the same positions after their terminations.
The petitioners have requested the SHC to annul the August 11 office order, reinstate their jobs, and compel the HMC to regularise their employment.
Published in The Express Tribune, October 28th, 2023.
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