‘Contractual Workers at JNU, Like Us, Haven’t Been Paid for Over 3 Months’

"With each passing day, it's getting tougher for the workers to meet their daily requirements."

Workers say that it's getting difficult for them meet their daily needs.

(Image altered by The Quint/Kamran Akhtar)

Video Producer: Maaz Hasan
Video Editor: Prajjwal Kumar

For over three months, Jawaharlal Nehru University hasn't released the salaries of its contractual workers – the mess workers, sanitation workers, etc – and this isn't the first time it has happened. It seems to be a regular practice that salaries get delayed by three to four months.

This has left these workers struggling to meet their daily needs!

"It's been over three months, we haven't received our salaries. They say they will release the salaries soon but when? There is no confirmation about it. They had said that they would pay the salaries around Raksha Bandhan, but till date, we haven't received our salaries. We don't know when our salaries will come. Only we know how we celebrated Raksha Bandhan. We brought a thread of Rs 5 and couldn't even provide sweets for the kids."

Nira Devi, Mess Worker

Nira Devi works at Kaveri Mess at JNU.

"The situation in our house is such that we are not able to pay school fees of our kids nor are we able to pay the house rent," adds another worker.

JNU needs to understand the importance of these workers and their lives. They are those people who take care of our food messes, the cleanliness of the campus, and the maintenance of this whole university. There seems no reason to justify the delay in their salaries.

Those working here on contractual basis have salaries of around Rs 15,000 per month. If they don't get the salaries for three to four months, you can understand how difficult it becomes to run the house, that too in a city like Delhi. These people take loans from the open market at a 10% interest rate.

"We want them to release our salaries on time so that we can pay off our loans," pleads Puja Kumari, a sanitation worker.

We hope that JNU will release their salaries as soon as possible because, with each passing day, it's getting tougher for them to lead their lives with dignity.

Puja Kumari, a sanitation worker, is waiting for her salary for several months to pay off her loans.

The Quint has reached out to the Jawaharlal Nehru University on the issue raised by students and contractual workers. Their response is awaited. The story would be updated once the response is received.

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