CHENNAI:Around 500 conservancy workers blocked the entrance to Ripon Buildings, which houses the Greater Chennai Corporation, on Tuesday demanding regularisation of temporary workers and implementation of minimum wage stipulated by the State government.
Alleging that the Corporation officials had gone back on their promises, the workers raised slogans and threatened to stop collecting garbage if their demands are ignored.“The Corporation commissioner gave us in writing in October 2017 that 509 temporary conservancy workers would be made permanent within a month,” said L Sundararajan, president, The Madras Corporation Red Flag Union.
“However, despite our reminders, these workers haven’t been made permanent yet,” he said. The protesters also demanded implementation of minimum wage set by State government for conservancy workers.
“We are being paid Rs 346 per day against the Rs 604 minimum wage set by the State government,” said P Srinivasalu, union general secretary.The hour-long protest ended after police detained around 100 protesters. However, the union said the protests would continue in the coming days if officials refuse to invite them for talks.