Corporation accedes to conservancy workers’ demands

 As the Madurai Corporation acceded to the demands of the protesting conservancy workers, the workers have withdrawn their protest and have announced their return to work on Saturday.  

The workers’ agitation which began on August 18 as an indefinite strike was put to an end on the same evening after the police detained the protesters from the corporation premises.  

On the following day, subsequent to their release, their protest began again. But, due to the repeated failed talks with the corporation and Labour Department officials, the protest continued.  

On Friday, Minister for Commercial Taxes and Registration P. Moorthy along with District Collector K.J. Praveen Kumar, Corporation Commissioner Chitra Vijayan, held talks with the protesting workers and union leaders.  

CITU general secretary M. Balasubramaniam said that during the talks with the officials and Minister, they had agreed to take their demands to the State government.  

“They assured that primary demands like per day wage of ₹754, Deepavali bonus and ₹15,000 pending arrears for working during Covid pandemic would be fulfilled at the earliest after talks with the government,” he added.  

S. Boominathan of the sanitation workers welfare wing of the Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi said that they held separate talks with the corporation officials to discuss inhumane treatment of the contract company.  

“Though the possibility of removal of the contract of the company was ruled out by the officials, they assured them that such ill treatment would not happen again,” he added.  

Also, the officials informed the protesters that the contract company would be warned about the consequences if they continued to ill treat the workers, he noted.  

“As our demands were mostly accepted, we have decided to return to work on Saturday, Mr. Boominathan said.