As cleaners protest for rights, 7 trains leave Pune without being cleaned

“Payments became irregular and our working conditions worsened,” he said. Back in August, Bhosale had tried to take his life by consuming poison after a heated argument with the contractor. “My salary had not been paid for two months. Most of us are either receiving half our salary or delayed salary,” said Bhosale, a coach cleaner for 8 years.

This incident has sparked a protest among cleaning employees at Pune railway station, with hundreds of workers putting down their tools on September 9, to demand action against the new contractor, who they said has been delaying salaries or paying only half the amount monthly.

Last October, after the old contract ended, Pune Railway Division gave the contract to a new contractor for cleaning and washing trains and coaches parked at the station in preparation for departure. This new contract has severely impacted the lives of 300 contract cleaners, worsening their financial and health conditions. Currently, the new contractor manages three coach washing locations at Pune station: the new washing area, old washing area, and Ghorpadi integrated cleaning centre (GCII).

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Most of these workers, who are older adults and women, are working in deplorable conditions in the washing area due to which they face serious health issues. Many have been working under railway contracts for 15 years. “However, the new contractor does not pay us the guaranteed minimum wage of Rs 779 per day, which totals to around Rs 20,000 per month. After provident fund (PF) and employees’ state insurance (ESI) deductions, the take-home sum is about Rs 18,000. Since October last year, we have either been paid half the total or have been left unpaid,” they alleged.

Bhosale lives in a one-room house in the slum of Pimpri’s Maitri Budha Vihar, for which he pays a monthly rent of Rs 10,000 per month.

He lives with his mother, his 7-year-old son, his sister and her child. After facing abusive behaviour from the contractor over two months of pending salary, he drank poison in an attempt to end his life. “My health was already poor due to unhygienic working conditions at the cleaning facility which entailed extra medical expenses. Then, my two-month rent was due as my salary was not paid on time,” he said.

“When I called the contractor for my salary, he abused me and asked me to leave the job. No one was around in the washing area, which left me with no option other than consuming poison. My co-workers rushed me to Sassoon Hospital,” Bhosale added.

Trouble for these workers began last October when the old contract ended, and a new contractor took over. (Express Photo)

Bhosle was admitted to the hospital for a week and he rejoined work thereafter, but he received only Rs 5,000 as his last month’s salary. “I am unwell now with some skin and bone diseases. I will rejoin when I recover,” he said.

Bai Salwe, the sole bread-winner of her home, travels everyday by train from Dehu road to Pune railway station. She says the contractor comes to the site with goons to abuse and threaten every woman who demands her salary or safety equipment.

The Indian Express visited the site and found it in a dire condition, with broken cemented access ways to coaches and exposed electrical wires posing a safety hazard. Many female workers said they worked night shifts with no safety precautions, as the new contractor has refused to provide gloves, boots or masks. They said she had previously fallen from the narrow cemented path while accessing the coaches to clean them.

“Our morning begins with cleaning human faeces. Cleaning human dirt and soiled sanitary pads with bare hands is not everyone’s cup of tea. After doing all this, risking our lives in our shifts, when we ask for our rights, the contractor brings goons with him and threatens us,” said the employee.

Salwe said an FIR was filed against the contractor in August at Bundgarden police station for hitting a 46-year-old female staffer and abusing her after she demanded two months of pending salary.

Senior Divisional Mechanical Engineer (Sr DME) Shadab Jamal said they have asked the contractor for an explanation, giving a deadline of September 12. “We found flaws in the contractor’s documents indicating that no safety gear was provided to workers, following which we issued a notice against the contractor. The poor conditions of the washing area too will be resolved soon,” he said.

More than seven trains, including important ones like Mumbai CSMT Intercity SF Express (12128), Pune Kolhapur Special (01023), Pune Nagpur Garibrath (12113), Deccan Express, Hutatma Express (12157), and Dund local departed from Pune station without being cleaned.