For years, several workers hired on contract have been waiting for permanent jobs and better wages at the Chennai Metropolitan Water Supply and Sewerage Board (CMWSSB).
The CMWSSB Labourers’ Union will hold a conference in the city to emphasise key demands. Nearly 2,850 labourers had been hired for sewer and water network maintenance, but most of them are without permanent jobs despite working for several years.
G. Beem Rao, former Maduravoyal MLA and the Union’s president, said though some of the basic demands, including safety gears and uniforms, have been met, the workers continue to struggle for secure jobs and better wages. “A separate category must be formed for skilled labourers with a hike in monthly salary fixed at a minimum of ₹26,000,” he said.
’M.Palani, the Union’s general secretary, said labourers have been fighting for secure jobs and hike in wages for eight years now. “The workers who have been engaged on contract for over three years must be provided permanent jobs. We staged several protests in the past. But promises are yet to be fulfilled,” he said.
A resolution would also be passed in support of the ongoing protest of Greater Chennai Corporation’s sanitation workers.
Published – August 10, 2025 01:05 am IST
