More than 500 contract workers at Jawaharlal Nehru University have begun a strike over alleged illegal wage deductions, unfulfilled statutory bonuses and continued violations of labour rights, placing pressure on the campus services that support students and faculty in New Delhi.
The workers include sanitation staff, mess attendants, security guards, horticulturists and maintenance personnel. Sanitation workers have withdrawn their labour entirely, while mess staff have continued reporting for duty wearing black armbands to register their protest while limiting disruption to students.
The strike began on Tuesday, according to the All India Central Council of Trade Unions (AICCTU), which said the workers are facing severe financial and workplace hardships. The protest is being held at Sabarmati T-Point, where the workers have also sought support from the Jawaharlal Nehru University Teachers’ Association and students.
The workers’ grievances include alleged arbitrary retrenchments, missing salary slips and identity cards, the absence of a functioning grievance redressal committee and the non-payment or incomplete payment of statutory bonuses. They also allege that female workers have been denied maternity benefits and that entitlements such as earned leave, casual leave and equal pay for equal work have not been implemented.
The allegations follow directions issued by the Assistant Labour Commissioner in late September. According to AICCTU, the directions instructed university management to stop arbitrary retrenchments, issue salary slips and identity cards, establish a functional grievance redressal committee and audit missing statutory bonuses. The union has alleged that these directions have not been implemented.
The dispute has immediate implications for the daily functioning of the campus. In an open letter addressed to students, the workers said staff shortages had left individual employees carrying workloads intended for several people, affecting sanitation and food services. They appealed to students as members of the same university community and argued that workers performing the same tasks as permanent employees were being paid substantially less.
The workers also highlighted the financial strain caused by low wages and delayed or missing statutory benefits. In their appeal, they said families faced particular hardship during the festive season and asserted that the university’s identity included the people responsible for maintaining its physical operations.
JNU has not been quoted in the supplied report as issuing a response to the allegations or outlining steps to resolve the dispute. The workers’ demands remain centred on implementation of the Assistant Labour Commissioner’s directions, restoration of statutory entitlements and action on staffing and wage-related complaints.
