Mumbai, May 16 (PTI) Millions of urban workers who sustain and build Mumbai are still forced to live in unsafe, unorganised and exploitative conditions, said the Youth Congress on Saturday, demanding a minimum
wage of Rs 100 per hour for domestic workers.
Addressing a press conference, Mumbai Youth Congress president Zeenat Shabrin accused the government of denying sanitation workers, domestic workers, autorickshaw drivers, street vendors and workers from the unorganised sector their basic rights, social security and dignified living conditions.
The youth wing of the Congress launched a 'Urban Workers Justice' campaign under its 'Mumbai Ka Haq' initiative, saying that it would take to the streets against the “corrupt” and “inefficient” system prevailing in the country's financial capital.
Shabrin said the workers who build cities are still deprived of minimum wages, social security, healthcare facilities, legal protection and dignity. The new labour laws have completely ignored domestic workers, gig workers and several sections of the unorganised workforce, she said.
Despite legal prohibitions, sanitation workers continue to die while cleaning sewers and septic tanks, the Youth Congress leader said. They are not provided with proper safety equipment, and the families of workers who die on duty are denied justice and compensation, she claimed.
Shabrin demanded a complete end to manual scavenging, along with permanent government jobs, health insurance and social security for all sanitation workers.
Many women domestic workers are subjected to “modern untouchability” through separate lifts, separate gates and separate washrooms, and are deprived of minimum wages, weekly holidays, maternity benefits and legal protection, she said.
The Youth Congress demanded a separate law for domestic workers, a minimum wage of Rs 100 per hour, health insurance, pension schemes and strict anti-discrimination laws.
She said auto drivers face “exploitation” by app-based companies, harassment by the police and severe financial burdens. She demanded a separate welfare board, insurance, pensions, gas subsidies and regulation of app-based commissions for these drivers.
“In the name of beautification, the livelihoods of the poor are being destroyed. Confiscation drives, extortion and police harassment have made lakhs of street vendors insecure,” she said.
She demanded strict implementation of the Street Vendors Act, proper vending zones, business certificates and basic facilities for women vendors.
Despite the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation having a budget of thousands of crores of rupees, Mumbaikars are still deprived of pothole-free roads, a flood-free city, clean air, efficient public transport and quality healthcare facilities, she claimed.
“Under the triple-engine government, living, working and even breathing in Mumbai has become difficult,” she said.
She also criticised the “deteriorating” condition of local trains, BEST bus services and municipal hospitals, alleging that citizens are suffering because of the corrupt administration.
“This campaign is not merely an agitation, but a larger struggle for the dignity, equality and constitutional rights of the workers who build this city. The right of Mumbaikars to live with dignity is under threat, and the Youth Congress will raise the voice of citizens by taking this fight to the streets,” she said.
The Mumbai Youth Congress urged urban workers and city residents to join the campaign by giving a missed call on 9811867474. PTI MR NR
