BSWML Link Workers Protest Delayed Monthly Wages of Rs 14,600

Over 150 solid waste link workers associated with the Greater Bengaluru Authority’s (GBA) Bengaluru Solid Waste Management Limited (BSWML) have been left without their monthly salaries of Rs 14,600 since April this year. The affected staff, who represent workers from Bengaluru South and other areas, previously staged a protest at the GBA head office at N R Square to demand the immediate release of their unpaid wages.

The delay has caused significant financial distress to the workers who perform essential civic services across the city. Bhagramma, a senior link worker from the Bengaluru South City Corporation, shared that engineers blamed the irregular payments on an ongoing fund crunch, which has impacted more than 150 of her colleagues.

Another link worker, Rani, recalled that approximately 190 workers gathered at the GBA head office at N R Square a few months ago to register their protest. During the demonstration, BSWML Chief Operation Officer Ramamani met with the protesting workers and assured them that the administration would look into the salary delays as well as their demand for equal pay for equal work.

Many of these link workers have dedicated decades to the city's civic welfare, with some serving for the last 20 years. They initially began their service by conducting polio awareness campaigns, vaccination drives, and other initiatives under the civic body’s health section. Over time, their responsibilities transitioned into solid waste management. Today, they manage garbage issues, monitor black spots, and coordinate with health inspectors and marshals to penalize citizens who litter.

Addressing the delay, Chief Operation Officer Ramamani stated that she has signed all the files concerning the salaries of the link workers and forwarded them to the Finance Department of the solid waste management division.

Meanwhile, a senior official from the Finance Department stated that all salaries up to March have already been cleared. The official explained that the subsequent delay occurred because the engineers in charge had failed to submit the necessary bills. The department assured that the pending salaries would be transferred directly into the link workers' bank accounts as soon as the engineers submit the outstanding bills.