Hyderabad water workers face hardship as salary, pension delays persist

HYDERABAD: Employees of the Hyderabad Water and Sewerage Corporation are facing mounting financial difficulties as delays in salaries, pensions and retirement payments continue, with workers’ representatives saying the prolonged hold-up has left many families in severe distress.

According to union representatives, retired labour leader Raja Khan Palari recently died after years of waiting for his retirement benefits. They said Palari, 64, had worked for decades in the former WASA structure before retiring, and had been awaiting payment of his post-retirement dues for four years.

Workers’ representatives said he had been suffering from liver disease but could not continue treatment because of a lack of money, adding that his gratuity and other retirement payments had still not been released. They alleged that the delay in pensions and other benefits contributed to the worsening of his condition and his death.

Union raises alarm over unpaid dues

The Mehraj Workers Union has said a number of retired and serving employees are bedridden and unable to pay for medical care while waiting for salaries and pensions that, according to the union, have been delayed for as long as 17 months.

Union leaders also referred to another recent case, saying that a contract worker had allegedly died by suicide a few months ago after facing financial pressure linked to unpaid wages. They warned that continued non-payment was driving workers into increasingly desperate circumstances.

According to the union, hundreds of employees are still waiting for payments. At the same time, workers’ representatives alleged that senior officials of the corporation were given advance salaries for May 2026 before Eid, a move they said had deepened concerns among employees over disparities and possible financial mismanagement within the organisation.

The union further claimed that contract and work-charge staff were paid only one month’s salary before Eid, while regular employees and pensioners continued to wait for their outstanding dues.