Dignity and self-respect is more important than economic development: R. Adhiyaman, Aathi Thamizhar Peravai

With CPI (M) state secretary, P. Shanmugam, backing the conservancy workers’ protest and their demand for job conservancy, Aathi Thamizhar Peravai president R. Adhiyaman on Wednesday (August 20, 2025) said he would continue to oppose the demand of ‘permanent government jobs’ as the issue was about protecting ‘dignity and self-respect’ of conservancy workers, and less about their economic development.  

Mr. Adhiyaman said the disagreement has laid bare difference between the Communist and the Periyarist points of view in the issue of conservancy workers’ protests and their demands. 

“Even if there is economic development for the workers, there won’t be dignity in the work. The Communist movement and Periyarist movement differ on this issue. In 2013, Supreme Court gave a verdict to abolish manual scavenging and said that the workers should be rehabilitated. Has that been done? Are all castes a part of the workforce? No. Only certain castes are involved in this work,” he told The Hindu.

Mr. Adhiyaman argued that when 325 conservancy workers were recruited in Coimbatore a few years ago, close to 300 OBCs were recruited but none of them went onto collect garbage.

“Not a single person (among the BCs) went to collect garbage. They got other jobs such as drivers and so on by pulling strings. Can Comrade Shanmugam ensure that they do the job? Performing this job robs them off their dignity and a particular community is being made to do this work. No human being should do this job.” 

Mr. Adhiyaman said the only way to support these conservancy workers is to rehabilitate them by ensuring that they don’t have to do this job again. 

“It is true that they are being economically exploited through contractual work. I don’t have a problem with demanding an end to exploitation. But I cannot support permanent government jobs. Their income shouldn’t come from doing this work. If a ‘permanent worker’ dies, the son is usually given the job on compassionate grounds and he will continue to do the job because it is a permanent government job. We have seen this happen over and over again,” he said.