Kohima: Dimapur Municipal Council employees are walking off the job. The Dimapur Municipal Council Employees’ Welfare Union served an ultimatum to the council on September 1. Staff want their money. They demand outstanding salaries, missing EPF contributions, leave encashment, and other benefits.
Union president Vinoto Ayemi and joint secretary Wolumo Humtsoe issued the warning to the council’s chief executive officer. Past talks went nowhere. The union noted that repeated representations, meeting minutes, resolutions, and appeals failed to secure a response from the authority. Employees have struggled while waiting for pay. The union stated, "prolonged delay in clearing employees’ dues had caused financial hardship to them and their families."
Staff kept working despite the missing paychecks. That ends now. Following an August 31 general body meeting, the union launched a pen-down strike on September 2. They have set a hard deadline of September 7 for the council to act. If officials fail to deliver, the union will begin an indefinite no pay, no work agitation on September 8. This will stop all sanitation and public services managed by the union. The staff now demand a clear, time-bound schedule to settle all outstanding liabilities.
Updated at 3rd September 2026 at 1:48am
The financial crater is deeper than initially reported. Union Vice President Abel Swu confirmed that staff have gone five full months without pay, and the sixth month is already clicking over. Employees from the establishment branch gathered at the new DMC office in Forest Colony to signal their resolve.
While sanitation crews kept the trucks moving on September 2, that reprieve is temporary. Swu shot down the possibility of settling for piecemeal payments after recent talks with the CEO, noting the total liability is too large for half-measures. "Our pending salaries are five months complete, and now the sixth month is running," Swu said. "Our demand is that by Monday (September 7), they must fulfill our demands. Otherwise, we will also stop sanitation (services)."
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