CHENNAI: Female sanitary workers in ward 84 under Ambattur zone are alleging of sexual harassment and unreasonable demands by their supervising staff.
TNIE’s visit to the ward revealed that apart from segregating garbage without gloves or masks and sweeping roads in the midst of moving traffic, these women are forced to endure unwanted gestures and tantrums from their male supervisors, who, if confronted, retaliate by overloading them with work.
Lathika (name changed), a sanitary worker with over 13 years of experience, said that some workers in the division show up merely for biometric attendance and leave after working for just two hours, leaving others with the additional burden.
“I once asked our mesthiri (supervisor) why they were being allowed to leave early. He said they offer him sexual favours and asked if I was ready for it too. I just walked away, afraid of maybe losing my job, or something even worse.”
Another female sanitary worker, around 50 years old, was in tears while narrating her daily ordeal. “One day, I asked the supervisor permission to go away for a few hours, but he called me terrible names just because I dared to ask. Sometimes, he even asks me to make some ‘adjustments’. Look at my age, is it right for him to speak to me like this,” she asked.
“If my daughter comes to question him, he assigns me more work than is my share after she leaves,” she added.
Jayabharathi (name changed), a worker said, “Even if we sit briefly due to the heat, the supervisor uses obscene language. I have two sons who are over 20. If I tell my family about this, they won’t allow me to continue working.”
Most workers TNIE spoke to said that they come to work so that they can feed the children and survive the next day. However, the supervising staff exploited their circumstances, they added. When contacted, the supervising staff dismissed all of these as mere allegations.
However, workers told TNIE that they were assigned more work, that too at distant locations, after the supervisor realised they had spoken to the media. When they questioned it, they were even denied attendance despite working, with one worker alleging she was marked absent on April 15.
Greater Chennai Corporation (GCC) officials were unavailable for comment.
The division also lacks a proper office as they mark attendance at a pumping station near the North Avenue canal in Korattur. Biometric attendance, which was not taken for months earlier due to the absence of an office, has now been enforced, said workers. They also lack proper drinking water and toilet facilities.
Speaking to TNIE, Chennai Corporation Red Flag Union general secretary P Srinivasalu said that it’s the duty of GCC officials to ensure that all sanitary workers are properly assigned tasks to prevent additional workload for others.
Regarding sexual harassment, he pointed out that the Internal Complaints Committee (ICC) operates out of the Ripon Buildings and it rarely addresses complaints, often advising workers to steer clear of such issues citing their contractual status. He urged GCC to expand the ICC to the zones, ensuring safety of workers.