CHENNAI: The Tamil Nadu government on Monday informed the Madras High Court that the private agency, which has obtained the contract for sanitation works in Royapuram and Thiru Vi Ka Nagar zones of the Greater Chennai Corporation, will pay wages of Rs 761 per day to the conservancy workers until the civil case over the outsourcing of the works is disposed of.
Advocate General (AG) P S Raman made the submission before a division bench of justices M S Ramesh and R Sakthivel when an appeal filed by the Uzhaippor Urimai Iyakkam against a single judge’s order on the issue came up for hearing. The AG said that if the workers fail to return to work, the agency would be forced to recruit fresh workers and so, the court shall instruct them to work.
As many as 800 workers were absorbed into the company following the single judge’s order refusing to stay the decision of the GCC to privatise the conservancy work, but they are refusing to work following the filing of the appeal, he told the court. The AG said, as a result, about 2,000 tonnes of garbage has accumulated and there was a risk of the piles of garbage causing health problems.
He said that Delhi MSW Solutions has agreed to continue to pay Rs 761 per day to the workers who have been absorbed by the private firm as part of the outsourcing contract.
Even though the counsel for the appellants pressed for an interim stay of the order of the single judge, the bench refused to pass any orders. It issued notice to the respondents directing them to file a reply by October 6 and accordingly adjourned the hearing.
The single judge, in his order on August 20, refused to stay the decision of the GCC to privatise sanitation work, stating that it was a policy decision of the state government, but he directed the GCC to ensure the workers are paid their last drawn salary.