CHENNAI: Sanitation workers of the Greater Chennai Corporation (GCC), under the National Urban Livelihoods Mission (NULM), alleged that they are forced to work seven days a week. A petition in this regard was submitted to Mayor R Priya during the Makkalai Thedi Mayor event in Korattur on Friday.
More than 1,300 sanitation workers are employed in the Ambattur zone, under the NULM. Vasanthi (name changed) claimed that so far this year she has taken only two days off from work. “I have been working as a sanitation staff for 12 years. After a lot of struggle, our salary was revised two months ago, but there is no week off. We want our work to be regularised,” she said.
Ambattur was added to the GCC in 2011 and is currently one of the largest zones in the corporation.
“Workers should not be denied leave,” said CP Mohan, a labour rights activist. He alleged that the workers are not paid overtime pay for work beyond the mandated hours. “We have petitioned the authorities several times in this regard, but to no avail. Women workers are not even provided maternity leave.
Long-term workers should be made permanent and leave benefits should be extended to them,” he added.
The state government has made a policy decision to outsource sanitation work in local bodies and not to create any new permanent posts. “Permanency is the policy decision of the government. With regards to leave, necessary instructions will be given to address the issue,” a senior corporation told TNIE.