Mumbai News: BMC Sanitation Workers Threaten Strike Over Waste Management Privatisation; Protest At Azad Maidan On July 17

Mumbai: The BMC sanitation workers will hold a protest march at Azad Maidan on Thursday against the civic body’s plan to appoint a single agency for citywide waste collection, transport, manpower, and vehicle maintenance. The Municipal Workers Action Committee said on Wednesday that a decision on launching a strike against the alleged privatisation will also be taken.

Despite opposition from labour unions, the BMC will proceed with bidding for a “service-based” waste management system, outsourcing cleaning and transport in all 21 wards. A joint committee of seven unions has demanded its cancellation, warning of a citywide strike. The Action Committee held a vote at sanitation checkpoints and depots to decide on the strike, with counting underway since Wednesday morning.

As per a press release by the Municipal Workers Action Committee, 97% of workers in nine city wards have voted in favour of a strike, with a similar trend expected across the remaining 15 civic wards. BMC sanitation workers will gather at Azad Maidan at 10 a.m. on July 17, seeking a meeting with the Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis. The committee said a final decision on launching an indefinite strike will depend on the outcome of this meeting.

However, a senior civic official said, "While waste collection in 21 wards will be handled by private contractors, no existing staff will lose their jobs. Motor loaders impacted by the change will be reassigned to sanitation duties within the same wards, including second-shift cleaning. The tender process is ongoing and cannot be cancelled due to misleading demands.”

Mumbai generates approximately 7,000 metric tonnes of waste daily. To manage this, around 1,334 vehicles are deployed some owned by the BMC, while the majority are provided by private contractors.

Mumbai News: BMC Moves Ahead With Waste Management Tender Despite Union Strike Threats; Assures No Job Loss For Sanitation Workers

Currently, the BMC operates on a hiring-based contract model where contractors supply vehicles on a rental basis, while all other waste management operations are handled directly by the civic body. Only four wards—L (Kurla), M East (Govandi), and M West (Chembur)—use municipal vehicles, as these areas are closer to the Kanjur Marg and Deonar dumping grounds.