Hisar: The ongoing strike by sanitation workers in Haryana entered its thirteenth day on Wednesday (May 13), leaving major cities across the state choked with garbage, overflowing dumping stations and streets littered with mounds of waste. With no resolution in sight and the government repeatedly failing to address underlying issues, the situation has been worsening by the day.

According to reports, more than 30,000 municipal workers from several cities in Haryana, including Hisar, Karnal, Sirsa, Rohtak and Gurgoan have been on strike since May 1, 2026. They have refused to carry out civic services like sweeping the roads, lifting garbage or cleaning sewers.

With cleaning services like night sweeping also completely halted, the state is struggling with a massive waste management crisis, with tonnes of accumulated garbage effectively paralysing residential and commercial areas.

Who is striking and why?

Sanitation workers organised under the banner of the Haryana Sarv Karamchari Sangh, have walked off the job, vowing to strike until their demands are met. On Monday, May 11, the workers announced that they were extending their strike until May 14, blaming the state government’s inaction in addressing their concerns.

The workers allege that despite repeated assurances, the government has taken no concrete steps to alleviate sanitation workers’ condition. “The government’s indifference forced us to protest. We are fighting not just for ourselves but for justice and dignity,” Raj Kumar, president of the Karnal Municipal Employees Union, told the Tribune.

Union members have stressed that their intention is not to inconvenience the public, but to press for their demands, which have been pending since 2018. They added that if their demands were met, workers would work around the clock to restore cleanliness in the cities.

The demands revolve around three key tenets: regularisation of contractual work, better wages and fire-service demands.

The contractualisation of sanitation work has for long left workers without recourse, decent work conditions and wages or job security. Most contract workers are hired through exploitative third-party agencies to whom government departments outsource the job of routine maintenance and cleanliness. As a result, they have no choice but to work for deplorably low wages in hazardous conditions.

Sanitation........

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