The stir by 170 conservancy workers in Asia’s biggest vegetable, fruit and flower market in Koyambedu that began on Monday was resolved by market management officials and Hyderabad-based Ramky group.
MMC officials said the issue over Deepavali bonus was resolved on Tuesday morning after Ramky agreed to pay the conservancy workers an additional bonus of `500.
The stir had began on Monday with conservancy workers mostly women, gheraoing the officials and demanding full month bonus.
“The officials had paid initially a bonus of `500. But the workers were not happy. After the negotiations an additional `500 was agreed to be paid to workers, following which the workers took up the regular work,” MMC officials told City Express.
However, on Monday the garbage could not be cleaned due to the stir. It was only during late night, Ramky officials had arranged temporary staff to do the cleaning operations.
MMC officials said their job was to ensure the market remained clean and said it was up to Ramky to sort out the issue with labourers. “It is their internal issue,” a senior official said.
It is not only the Deepavali bonus, for which the workers were protesting, they were also demanding provident fund benefits besides basic amenities like soap and gloves.
Hemavathi, who is working as a conservancy worker for the last 15 years, alleged that the workers were paid a daily wage of `170 and at times it is delayed.
She also said that the workers were also not getting provident fund and other facilities.
Ramky officials told City Express that they have taken up the contract from M V K Murugan only this August. He said the workers had to give their bank accounts to settle their provident fund.
A total of around 150 to 180 metric tonnes of garbage per day is collected from around 3, 500 shops and dumped in the yards outside the city and some used in the bio-methanation plant.