CHENNAI: After negotiations between the Greater Chennai Corporation and the protesting conservancy workers stopped on Sunday evening, the civic body in a detailed statement on Tuesday urged the protesters to “resume work” through the private company that has now bagged the contract for solid waste management in Zone 5 (Royapuram) and Zone 6 (Tondiarpet).
It asked the workers to do so forthwith, keeping “public health” in mind while looking forward to the outcomes from the Madras High Court and the Industrial Tribunal, where matters related to the workers’ concerns about privatisation of solid waste management are pending.
Meanwhile, members of AICCTU-LTUC-Uzhaippor Urimai Iyakkam (UUI), representing the workers, petitioned GCC Commissioner J Kumaragurubaran, urging him to convene a meeting in the presence of Labour Minister CV Ganesan and Labour Commissioner SA Raman to resolve the issues.
Highlighting that it has made it clear that job security of all the temporary workers working in these two zones directly under GCC would ensure “100%”, GCC in its statement said around 300 such temporary workers have now joined CESPL (of the Ramky Group) that has taken the contract.
However, UUI president K Bharathi said only 38 workers had joined CESPL, allegedly under pressure from councillors.
While the protesting workers’ concerns over reduction in salaries if they joined CESPL is yet to be addressed clearly, GCC’s release pointed out that it has followed the same processes that were followed in 2020 when solid waste management in many other zones were privatised. It said workers shifting to private companies would benefit under existing labour laws, including PF, ESI, bonuses and paid leaves.
Bharathi, meanwhile, said despite the benefits listed by GCC, the reality was that the overall salaries of the workers would come down.
Moreover, he questioned the need for the then opposition leader and present CM MK Stalin’s condemnation of privatisation in 2020, when the government is now saying that it is merely following the same.
Meanwhile, Minister for Municipal Administration KN Nehru, while talking to media in Tiruchy, said he held talks with union representatives on four occasions and that CM was taking all steps to end the protest amicably.
