Pune: Municipal Apathy And Threat Of Contractualization Provoke Waste Picker Protest

Shivajinagar, 28th June 2021: Under the leadership of senior labour leader Dr Baba Adhav, waste-pickers of the Swach Pune Cooperative and Kagad Kach Patra Kashtakari Panchayat, a trade union of informal waste-pickers of Pune, protested the failure of Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) to protect their basic rights and its plans to contractualize their work.

Set up in 2007 by the PMC and Kach Patra Kashtakari Panchayat, 3500 waste-pickers of the SWaCH Cooperative provide doorstep collection service to 8.5 lakh properties in Pune (70% of the city) daily. This unique model recognized globally is based on direct user fees paid by citizens to waste-pickers and ensures the highest segregation and recycling of waste at the lowest cost to the city. With a majority of Dalit women operating and leading the cooperative, SWaCH has integrated and empowered the poorest and most marginalized citizens of Pune while offering a convenient and sustainable waste collection system to Pune.

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Waste-pickers demands:

Life insurance cover for 7000 registered waste-pickers. Premiums to be paid by PMC.
Covid incentive for working throughout the lockdown of Rs. 30 per month for slum households and Rs. 10 per month for other properties for six months for SWaCH waste pickers.
Renewal of the PMC – SWaCH model for a ten year period with due corrections of deficiencies such as increase in slum subsidy support to waste-pickers and provision of replacement system for emergency absences.
Push-carts, buckets, bags and PPE, over-due from PMC for over 1.5 years.
ID Cards to informal waste-pickers who are not part of the cooperative.
Space for efficient and safe sorting and recycling of waste.

PMC’s contract with the SWaCH cooperative expired in December 2020 and only temporary extensions of 1 or 2 months at a time have been granted since, adding to the uncertainty in this pandemic.

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Dangling the carrot of a longer, more stable contract, the PMC is proffering ad hoc short term extensions of 1 or 2 or 12 months which are more of a pandemic band-aid, and unlikely to benefit the city’s waste management, its citizens or the waste pickers.

“A few months or one year extension will just tide everyone over the election time and then we will be dumped by the wayside. There will be no discussion on the lacunae in the system. We have toiled to set up this model. Without us, PMC would have spent an additional 500 crore over five years. We understand the gaps in the model and have proposed changes for the last two years. But we have been fobbed off with empty promises of discussions”, said Supriya Bhadakwad, waste-picker board member.

“75% of residents pay a nominal Rs 2/day for waste collection services, saving the taxpayers over Rs 100 crore per annum. The other 25% collection costs the city and taxpayers 3 or 4 fold, as they are serviced directly by Private contractors or PMC. The PMC should explain why such unfair practices continue for a section of citizens and at whose behest?”, asked Vidya Naiknaware, waste-picker.

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“They say SWaCH only covers 75%. But they never say that it’s the PMC that refuses to shut down their parallel collection vehicles in 25% of the City. We are completely opposed to short term extensions and demand an immediate meeting to discuss threadbare and iron out all the issues that plague the system and enable setting up a world-class waste management system that is in the best interests of the city, its residents, waste workers and the environment”, said Rani Shivsharan, waste-picker board member.

Several leaders and activists have supported SWaCH and the foremost among them, renowned labour rights leader, Baba Adhav, insists that the only way to make this fair would be to treat SWaCH as equal partners of the PMC and institutionalize the system within the corporation.

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“Let everyone come to the table as equals and the administration can help resolve the gaps in the model so that it can function efficiently with minimum friction. Talking resolves wars. Why can’t we resolve this?” he asked.

Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) leader Supriya Sule assured the waste pickers that she would request the Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray and the guardian minister to ensure justice is meted out to the waste pickers. “But above all else, know that you are our sisters. You have the responsibility of your families resting on your shoulders and we will not let anything untoward happen to you all,” she said.

Expressing his support, Pune Mayor Murlidhar Mohol said, “I stand with you and we will call for a meeting very soon with the administration and members of all political parties for a speedy resolution.”

Leader of House (PMC) Ganesh Bidkar said, “SWaCH is a movement, and the city cannot do without SWaCH. We will make sure that the system continues in the city”.

Congress leader Mohan Joshi assured support of the entire Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA). “We will not let any private contractors snatch your livelihoods and are with you to ensure that a long term contract of 5 or 10 years is in place with all the corrections in place”, Joshi said.

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“We have garnered written support from 115 elected representatives and 32 lakh citizens for our work. We also have leaders who are expressing support here today. Who is opposing this then, and for what reason?”, asked Suman More, Chairperson SWaCH.

“Today there are 50 protestors as per Covid guidelines. But all our 3500 waste-pickers will protest in different parts of the city in the coming weeks if our demands are not heard”, said Saru Waghmare, waste-picker.

When contacted, PMC Additional Commissioner Dr Kunal Khemnar said, “The main demand of the protesters is that the contract should not be given to SWaCH for a period of less than five years. As per the instructions given by the PMC Standing Committee and the General Body, the contract will be signed with SWaCH. No proposal has been made yet to award the contract to another organization instead of SWaCH.”

Various political leaders and social organisations extended their support to the waste-pickers’ demands.

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