CHENNAI: The Greater Chennai Corporation (GCC) on Saturday said conservancy staff who are staging protest against outsourcing of solid waste management are gradually joining CESPL, the firm which has bagged the contract in Royapuram and Thiru Vi Ka Nagar. A release from the GCC has come even as a section of the conservancy staff continued their protest on Saturday.
In the release, GCC reiterated that it has been taking adequate measures to ensure job security of the workers from self-help groups (SHGs) who were working there earlier.
Pointing out that CESPL, which is a part of Ramky group, has so far recruited 1,770 of the 3,809 workers it needed in the two zones, GCC said that, as per its advice, the company has reserved the remaining 2,039 jobs for the temporary workers from the SHGs. It added that from Saturday, the SHG workers have begun joining CESPL by submitting letters expressing their interest.
Meanwhile, the protest that is under way since August 1, continued near Ripon Buildings, with workers stating that they were awaiting clarity on the key issue of whether they would continue to receive their existing pay of Rs 23,000 a month.
While the GCC release did not comment on this, senior corporation officials told TNIE that they were considering revising the pay offered at Thiru Vi Ka Nagar. “Initially, workers in these zones will receive Rs 580 per day, excluding deductions for PF and insurance. However, a phased increase can be implemented. Meanwhile, a one-time welcome bonus of Rs 3,000 will be provided by the contractor as compensation,” an official said.
Negotiations between officials and workers continued until late on Friday.
LTUC state secretary K Suresh alleged that the ruling party councillors and a few officials had begun approaching protesters individually, urging them to join CESPL or face job loss.
HR & CE minister PK Sekarbabu, responding to a query from the media late on Friday, said the DMK had not promised regularisation of employment of conservancy staff before coming to power. The workers had been demanding the DMK to keep its poll promise.
Sekarbabu’s curt refusal to answer a question from a staff of Neelam Social, which was covering the protest, attracted criticism from the Chennai Press Club. The minister had said that he was responding “only to media” and not others.
The club, in a post on X, condemned the minister for speaking in a “threatening” tone and said it was against the freedom of speech. It said the protest was being covered not only by mainstream media but sections of civil society and other organisations.