Sanitary workers stage road roko; court arrest

Demanding the regularisation of service of the sanitary workers who have worked with the urban and rural local bodies for several years and disbursal of minimum wages of ₹736 a day, the sanitary workers staged a demonstration and road roko here on Monday.

The protesters affiliated to the CITU said the sanitary workers hired through the self-help groups are working for the urban and the rural local bodies for the past several years as daily wages labourers. Considering their prolonged service, the Tamil Nadu Government should regularise their service as permanent sanitary workers. Until then, they should be given the daily wages of ₹736 a day.

Since the private firms to which the sanitary operations have been outsourced are exploiting the sanitary workers and are not paying them the assured wages. Moreover, these firms are not properly remitting the sanitary workers’ Provident Fund and Employees’ State Insurance Corporation contributions every month and hence the outsourcing of sanitary work should be stopped.

As the private firm hand-picked by the Tirunelveli Corporation for the sanitary work was not properly paying the workers’ ESI and EPF contributions, the contract awarded to the firm should be cancelled immediately. Moreover, the firm should made to pay ₹540 a day to the contract sanitary workers for the period they had served, the protesters said.

As the agitators blocked the road, the police arrested more than 250 protestors, who were released in the evening.