Delhi Sanitation Workers Face Dire Crisis as Salaries Remain Unpaid for Five Months

New Delhi - A grave issue has emerged in the national capital as approximately 1,500 sanitation workers, deployed across around 250 government schools under the Directorate of Education, GNCT of Delhi, have not received their salaries for the past five months. The workers, employed through the outsourcing agency M/s Orion Security Solutions Private Limited, are grappling with severe financial and social hardships due to this delay.

Senior lawyer Ashok Agarwal has urgently raised the matter with Shri Ashok Kumar, the Secretary (Education), Government of NCT of Delhi, via a letter dated August 25, marked as "Most Urgent." In his correspondence, Agarwal highlighted the dire situation of these low-income workers, who are struggling to sustain their families amidst the non-payment of wages since April 2025.

Agarwal described the treatment of these workers as "inhuman," emphasizing that they belong to economically vulnerable sections and live hand-to-mouth. He argued that the denial of timely wages violates their fundamental rights to livelihood, as guaranteed under Articles 21 and 23 of the Constitution of India, and contravenes several labour laws.

The lawyer has called for immediate intervention, urging the education secretary to direct concerned authorities to release the pending salaries without further delay. Additionally, he has requested the establishment of a robust mechanism to prevent such lapses in the future, ensuring the workers are not subjected to recurring financial distress.

The plight of these sanitation workers, who play a crucial role in maintaining hygiene in Delhi's government schools, has sparked concerns about the effectiveness of the city's cleanliness drives and the welfare of its workforce. The education department is now under pressure to address this pressing issue promptly.