Sanitary workers line-up garbage-laden vehicles at Corporation demanding revoking of suspension of their leader

The contract Sanitary workers with loaded garbage vehicles staging protest in Thoothukudi on Tuesday
| Photo Credit:
N. RAJESH

Tension prevailed at the Corporation office premises here on Tuesday after the sanitary workers staged dharna along with the garbage-laden vehicles demanding the revoking of the suspension of their union leader by the private firm doing sanitary works for the urban civic body.

The private firm, which is carrying out sanitary operations in the Corporation, suspended sanitary worker Ponraj, who is also the district president of AICCTU. Agitated over this, the sanitary workers, who abandoned the work midway on Tuesday, gathered in front of the private firm’s office at Chidambara Nagar with the demand of revoking of Mr. Ponraj’s suspension. They also lined-up the garbage-laden vehicles in front of the office to press their demand.

After the private firm chose to ignore their demand, the sanitary workers took the garbage-laden vehicles to the Corporation’s administrative office and parked the vehicles in front of the office. Some of the sanitary workers parked the vehicles inside the Corporation premises.

When the officials held talks with the protestors, the sanitary workers just pressed their only demand of reinstatement of Mr. Ponraj, for which the Corporation officials could not give any assurance.

However, the agitation was withdrawn in the night after Mayor Jegan Periyasamy held talks with the protestors and assured them that he would persuade the private firm to revoke the suspension.