MADURAI: The Centre of Indian Trade Unions (CITU) demanded that OurLand, the private agency handling solid waste management in the city, immediately reinstate 23 sanitary workers, who they alleged were dismissed by the firm on false charges nearly two weeks ago. The CITU threatened to strike and passed a resolution in this regard during its district committee meeting held in Madurai on Monday.
The issue came to a head on September 17, when the union representatives and corporation workers visited the agency office to seek an explanation over wage deductions and the dismissal of five workers.
Following the visit, OurLand lodged a police complaint accusing the representatives and workers of stealing vehicle keys, attacking staff members, and damaging property. Soon after, 23 workers, identified as active union members, were terminated without notice or inquiry.
The union said the dismissals violated the Industrial Disputes Act, 1947, and urged the Madurai corporation commissioner to intervene and reinstate the workers. M Balasubramanian of the CITU said the agency has terminated around 60 drivers over the past 15 months without a proper inquiry, and replaced them in a day with new recruits.
The union’s resolution claimed the agency has been “continuously adopting an anti-labour approach”, by cutting wages, denying job security, and misappropriating employees’ PF contributions. For the last three months, the CITU, along with the Labour Liberation Front (LLF) and other unions, has been holding protests, sit-ins, and strikes against the “high-handed practices” of the agency, said the members.