CHENNAI: In a big blow to the conservancy workers, who had recently launched a spirited protest, the Madras High Court on Wednesday refused to halt the Greater Chennai Corporation from going ahead with its decision to privatise sanitation works in Zone V and VI-Royapuram and Thiru. Vi. Ka. Nagar areas in the city.
Justice K Surender, while disposing of the petitions filed by Uzhaippor Urimai Iyakkam which spearheaded the 13-day strike, said, “The prayer for quashing the impugned resolution cannot be accepted.”
He held that the question of retrenchment does not arise because the workers are not retrenched through outsourcing the conservancy works.
"Since the sanitary workers were not terminated, the question of retrenchment of workers does not arise," the judge said in the order.
However, he directed the state to negotiate with the Delhi MSW Solutions, the private agency awarded with the contract for conservancy works in Zone V and VI, in order to ensure the sanitation workers are paid the last drawn wages.
The petition was filed by advocate K Bharathi, president of Uzhaippor Urimai Iyakkam. He prayed for the court to quash the GCC’s resolution dated June 16, 2025, stating that sanitation work in the zones of V and VI would be outsourced to Delhi MSW Solutions for an initial quote of Rs. 276 crores.
He said that 2042 workers would be transferred from the control of the GCC to the private agency in these two zones and 1953 contract workers face the risk of retrenchment.
The petitioner also stated that the GCC’s transfer of the services to a contractor without consent of the trade union when it was very much opposed to it and transferring the workers from the GCC to another employer would amount to retrenchment which is contrary to section 25 N of the Industrial Disputes Act, 1947. The decision to put an end to the services of the employees runs contrary to the Supreme Court order in FCI case.
He said the dispute regarding the outsourcing of sanitary work is pending on the file of the Industrial Tribunal since July 30.
The workers launched their strike on August 1 by sitting around the Rippon Building, the headquarters of GCC and garnered support from many organisations and personalities including political parties. However, the stir was brought to end by the Police with arresting the workers and union leaders at midnight on August 13 following an order of the High Court, in a PIL, that protests could not be held around the Rippon Building without permission; yet, the court said, they could stage the stir at a designated venue.