Diwali Deadline: Yashwant Bhosale to Lead March for 4,500 PCMC Workers
Labour body seeks statutory bonus and October salaries before November 3
PIMPRI-CHINCHWAD : National Shramik Aghadi founder-president and labour leader Yashwant Bhosale will lead a “Vinamra Abhiyan Padyatra” to the Pimpri-Chinchwad Municipal Corporation (PCMC) headquarters on Thursday, October 29, demanding payment of statutory bonuses for 2025-26 and October salaries to contractual workers before November 3, ahead of Diwali.
The march will begin at 3.30 pm from the statue of Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar at Pimpri Chowk and proceed to the municipal corporation headquarters. A memorandum will be submitted to Mayor Ravi Landge and Municipal Commissioner Dr Vijay Suryawanshi.
According to Bhosale, around 4,500 workers employed on a contractual basis across various PCMC departments are seeking statutory benefits, including equal pay for equal work, family insurance cover of up to ₹5 lakh, compensation of ₹25 lakh to the legal heirs of workers who die due to accidents or illness, and employment for eligible dependants on compassionate grounds.
The workers include sanitation staff, drivers, nurses, ward boys, technical personnel, garden and fire brigade staff, school employees, crematorium workers and water supply department personnel.
Bhosale said a meeting on these issues was held in Pune around 15 days ago before Deputy Labour Commissioner Abhay Gite, with PCMC Labour Officer Pramod Jagtap also present. He claimed that instructions had been issued to ensure payment of statutory bonuses, but the union had not received confirmation that the necessary orders had been implemented.
He further argued that if contractors failed to pay the legally mandated bonus and wages, the civic body, as the principal employer, had a responsibility to ensure payment.
Bhosale urged the administration to intervene immediately so that workers maintaining the city’s sanitation and essential services can celebrate Diwali with their families.
