Pune, 19 July 2025: Thirteen transgender security guards deployed at key facilities of the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) have gone unpaid for the past three months, sparking outrage and highlighting the challenges faced by marginalized workers under outsourced contracts.
Hired through a private agency, Eagle Security Services, these guards were part of PMC's initiative to integrate the transgender community into the workforce. They were stationed at the PMC headquarters, Rajiv Gandhi Zoological Park in Katraj, Thosar Paga crematorium, and Kamla Nehru Hospital.
Although the guards continued to fulfill their duties diligently, the agency failed to release their salaries, citing internal issues linked to a change in the company’s name.
With Eagle Security Services’ contract now concluded and a new agency taking over, the transgender guards are left uncertain about whether their dues will ever be cleared. The situation has raised broader concerns about the vulnerability of contract-based employees, particularly from marginalized communities, when working under third-party government vendors.
To offer immediate relief, employees from PMC's own security department raised ₹40,000, which was distributed among the 13 guards to help them meet urgent expenses like rent and medical costs.
PMC’s Security Officer Rakesh Vitkar confirmed that the civic body has issued a notice to Eagle Security Services. He stated that the company’s pending payment of ₹4.5 crore will not be released until all due salaries, Provident Fund (PF), and Employees State Insurance (ESI) contributions are cleared for all contractual staff.
The civic body has made it clear that no financial settlement will take place with the contractor until the wages and benefits owed to the guards are fully paid.
