A significant rift has emerged within the Belagavi City Corporation (BCC) Employees' Union, with a group of staff members taking their grievances directly to the municipal commissioner. The discontent, which has been simmering for years, came to a head on Monday when employees submitted a formal memorandum to corporation commissioner Kartik M.
A Decade of Silence: No General Meeting Held
The core of the complaint revolves around the alleged complete inactivity of the employees' welfare association. The signatories of the memorandum pointed out that no general body meeting of the association has been convened in the past ten years. This prolonged absence of a formal forum has left hundreds of corporation employees with no proper channel to raise their issues and concerns.
The memorandum was submitted by a group of seven individuals, which notably includes two recently elected members of the union. This group, representing the voices of 53 employees including signatories Yallesh Bachalpuri and Shrikant Irle, has launched serious allegations against the current union leadership.
Leadership Accused of Failing Staff
The employees have accused the present leadership of the BCC Employees' Union of gross negligence. Their primary charge is the failure to safeguard the rights, welfare, and interests of the corporation's workforce. They stated that several long-pending issues affecting staff remain stuck in a limbo, with repeated complaints and demands falling on deaf ears.
This perceived apathy, the employees argue, has led to widespread frustration and mental stress among the workers. The memorandum also criticizes the union for its absence during key administrative developments and controversies involving former commissioners, suggesting it failed to stand up for its members when needed.
Further highlighting the association's decline, the employees noted that it has even stopped organizing farewell functions for retiring officers and staff. They claimed that the union now exists in name only, having lost its purpose and credibility.
Call for Revival and Immediate Action
Stressing an urgent need to revitalize the organization, the employees have made a clear demand: the immediate convening of a general body meeting. They want this meeting to discuss all pressing issues faced by the staff and to conduct elections for new office-bearers, aiming for a complete leadership overhaul.
The group has urgently appealed to Commissioner Kartik M to intervene in the matter and grant immediate permission for the meeting to take place. Their ultimate goal is swift action to restore the effectiveness of the union and ensure that the voices of Belagavi's municipal staff are finally heard and addressed.
This development follows the election of 17 members to the employees' union last week, all of whom were elected unopposed. The current protest, led partly by elected members themselves, signals a deep-rooted dissatisfaction that the formal election process could not contain.
