CHENNAI: The Greater Chennai Corporation has recently instructed 29 sanitary workers and staff nurses from 13 of the city's short-staffed Urban Primary Health Centres (UPHCs) to skip their regular duty and instead work in shifts at the homes of two senior IAS officers.
While one officer is a Principal Secretary, who has served as Commissioner of the GCC in the past, the other has served in four departments under the present state government. TNIE has independently verified that at least one worker reported for work at the former's address located on the ground floor of a two-storey apartment in Anna Nagar F Block.
GCC officials have prepared and shared unsigned rosters, which TNIE has seen, listing staff names, their phone numbers and the date and time during which they need to report for work at the specific address until the end of October.
A WhatsApp group was also created for coordinating the work. TNIE spoke to more than 20 of the staff designated for this duty, who confirmed that they were instructed to prepare themselves to work at the IAS officers’ homes.
TNIE visited the Anna Nagar address and found the principal secretary’s name board at the entrance of the house. The service expected from the workers primarily involved providing care to an elderly woman residing there. It is, however, unclear whether the IAS officer himself resides in the house.
While one of the GCC staff went to the house for work on Monday, the work has since been put on hold after stiff resistance from the workers.
The staff objected as it is not part of their official work. Safety, disapproval by spouses, and extended work hours, which could be from 8pm to 8am, were their other concerns.
When staff inquired what they were expected to do at the houses, they were told that their work would involve taking care of a senior citizen, including bathing them and washing clothes. When TNIE asked if they were promised additional pay, the staff said they were not. Though the staff put up a united fight, refusing to go to the houses on the first day of duty, some that TNIE spoke to said that those assigned to duty on Monday were pressured to turn up for work and were even promised a pick-up facility.
Each UPHC currently has only two staff nurses, who are also asked to visit polyclinics after their working hours due to the staff shortage. The absence of these employees at the UPHCs would have undoubtedly affected public service.
Many of the workers were taken aback at the instruction.
“For the 8 pm to 8 am shift, we will have to stay overnight and any one of us could be assigned to this shift in future. Being a single woman, it is terrifying to work at an unfamiliar house and this might lead to conflicts in my family,” said a staff member.
“The safety concerns are secondary. How can someone who is assigned to work at a UPHC be asked to carry out someone’s personal work?” another staff member asked.
“Our families allow us to work only because it is a UPHC. Our working hours are up to 4pm and we are free to take care of household duties after that. However, duties in the houses of officers are not within the scope of our job and we will run into trouble with our families if we agree to this,” said a UPHC staff. While some of the staff have toddler children to take care of, some others said they were about to get married.
When contacted, City Health Officer M Jagadeesan initially said the rosters could not be considered official as they are unsigned. When it was pointed out that TNIE had other evidence, he said he would check and get back. Another senior official of GCC also said he would check and get back. TNIE also sought a response from the Principal Secretary in question. There was no response from any of them till the time of going to press on Wednesday night. TNIE contacted Municipal Administration Minister KN Nehru, but he said he was unwell and would speak later.