CHENNAI: It has taken nearly 13 years for the civic body to increase the daily wage of Amma Unavagam workers by Rs 100. They started with Rs 300 a day in 2013, which was increased to Rs 325 in 2024. On Thursday, the GCC passed a resolution during the council meeting, seeking the state’s approval to raise their daily wages to Rs 400.
The civic body established 407 Amma Unavagams in the 15 zones and seven government hospitals in Chennai. However, due to various reasons, it has come down to 382 now, where 2,848 women workers employed through self-help groups are working in two shifts of eight hours each.
They have been tasked with preparing and distributing food, apart from other kitchen-related and cleaning work. “To maintain pay parity with the Rs 300 they received then, workers should ideally be paid Rs 650 a day now. The government must consider a further hike,” CITU Chennai district general secretary R Loganathan said.
Once the government approves the proposal, the workers, who have been receiving Rs 9,750 per month so far, will get Rs 12,000. The workers are not entitled to paid leave, and their wages are deducted for any days they take off. The resolution cited the civic body’s current financial situation as the reason for the minimal increase.
Speaking to TNIE, Shakila (name changed), an Amma Unavagam worker from Thiruvottiyur zone, said, “It is extremely difficult for us to run the family with just Rs 400 per day.”
In a separate circular issued on October 15, GCC commissioner G S Sameeran permitted Amma Unavagam workers to display and sell homemade products such as pickles and mixture at the centres to supplement their income.