PMC approves 1.5× salary for sanitation workers on administrative holidays
PMC
Pune Municipal Corporation will now pay sanitation workers one-and-a-half times their regular salary for working on administrative holidays, following a standing committee decision.
Pune, Maharashtra | Nov 22, 2025 –:
The Pune Municipal Corporation has approved a policy that grants sanitation workers increased compensation when they report for duty on administrative holidays. Under the new structure, workers will earn 1.5 times their daily wage for duty performed on the additional administrative holidays marked for the year. The standing committee welcomed the move, saying it recognises the essential role of the workforce that keeps the city running even when government offices are closed.
PMC officials said the 2025 calendar includes 25 administrative holidays, of which 12 fixed holidays are not covered by this policy. Workers on the remaining holidays will now receive the enhanced rate. The decision comes after repeated discussions within the administration regarding the need to support staff who handle critical public-facing duties such as sweeping, waste collection and transport on days when most city operations slow down.
Sanitation teams often work through major festivals, weekends and other non-working days to ensure that the city remains functional. Overflowing bins after holidays, large public gatherings and increased household waste place additional demand on the system. The incentive aims to recognise the extra strain and provide fair compensation to the workers who step in when demand peaks.
Union representatives said the decision is encouraging, though they have asked for clarity on implementation. Concerns remain about how holiday duty will be tracked, how supervisors will record attendance and whether payments will be made on time. They noted that transparency and consistency will be key to ensuring the policy delivers meaningful benefit. Some workers also raised questions about whether protective gear and improved equipment could follow as part of future reforms.
PMC administrators said the rosters for each zone will now include a separate section for holiday duty, which will be submitted to the revenue department for payment processing. Officers will be required to certify the number of workers who performed duties on each holiday. The civic body expects the policy to result in smoother operations on days when waste generation spikes and manpower requirements rise.
The new payment structure could also help reduce absenteeism on holidays, an issue that the PMC has struggled with for years. Officials hope that offering a higher wage will encourage more staff to volunteer for shifts, improving city hygiene and reducing complaints from residents. In areas where garbage pickup delays have been frequent, particularly in the expanding suburbs, this move may help stabilise operations.
Financially, the initiative will require an additional allocation, but the corporation believes the cost is justified by the improvements in cleanliness and service reliability. Civic experts say that while higher holiday pay is a positive step, the broader issues around worker welfare, equipment shortages and waste processing capacity still need attention if the city wants long-term improvement.
Residents are likely to welcome any change that leads to more consistent waste pickup and cleaner neighbourhoods. Complaints about overflowing bins after festival weekends and administrative holidays have been common, and officials hope the new incentive will reduce such disruptions.
The policy represents a small but meaningful acknowledgment of the contribution sanitation workers make to the city every day. Whether it results in measurable improvement will depend on how efficiently each zone executes the plan and how well payments are tracked and delivered in the months ahead.
