Ahmedabad: A growing rift has surfaced within the Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation's (AMC) swimming pool department over a new mandate requiring contractual swimming coaches to submit an MBBS doctor’s fitness certificate every six months. Contractual staff have termed the rule blazen discrimination, questioning why permanent coaches and those hired via private agencies are completely exempt from the semi-annual health requirement.

The civic body's swimming pool department currently employs around 30 permanent coaches, alongside 17 contractual coaches and another 30 to 32 personnel sourced through private staffing agencies. Previously, contractual trainers underwent practical swimming tests every six months to prove their fitness. However, the sudden addition of a mandatory medical clearance certificate strictly for contractual staff has sparked accusations of unfair labor practices and unequal treatment under the same administration.

Four-Tier Attendance System Sparks Frustration

Beyond the mandatory medical checks, coaches across municipal pools are expressing deep frustration over an increasingly tedious four-step attendance verification system implemented by the department. Before starting any shift, coaches are forced to complete a cumbersome check-in process:

• 311 Mobile App: Staff must first mark their attendance digitally on AMC's 311 application.
• Biometric Punch: A physical biometric scan is required immediately after the app check-in.
• Physical Register: Coaches must manually sign the traditional hard-copy attendance register.
• Group Photograph: All staff members are made to pose for a group photo, which is uploaded directly to the swimming pool department’s official WhatsApp group.

Contractual Staff Demand Equal Rules for All

Affected contractual coaches argue that forcing one section of the workforce through constant medical re-certifications while ignoring permanent and agency-hired peers creates an uneven playing field. Representatives demand that AMC either standardize health and operational rules across all staff tiers or withdraw the mandatory six-month MBBS certificate requirement for contractual trainers.