GCC says acceding to workers’ salary demand would cost Rs 164 crore a year

The official said that if this demand of the workers in the two zones are met, it would be inevitable to avoid such demands emerging from all the remaining 13 zones.

Sanitation workers protesting outside Ripon Building being evicted on Wednesday night. (Photo | Express)

CHENNAI: Besides regularisation of employment, the other key demand of conservancy workers protesting against Greater Chennai Corporation’s move to privatise solid waste management in two zones has been to ensure that their present salary of nearly Rs 23,000 per month is not reduced.

However, meeting such a demand could cost GCC roughly Rs 164 crore per year, a senior official said. The official said that if this demand of the workers in the two zones - Royapuram and Thiru-Vi-Ka Nagar - are met, it would be inevitable to avoid such demands emerging from all the remaining 13 zones.

“Meeting the revision citywide would burden the corporation by Rs 164 crore a year,” the official said.

As per June 2024 data, there were 3,996 sanitation staff in the two zones zones — 2,043 permanent and 1,953 temporary. They were receiving Rs 753/day from GCC (`22,590/month). In contrast, with CESPL (Ramky Group), which has bagged the contract for these two zones, these workers would get only Rs 652.6 per day (Rs 19,578), which is inclusive of deductions for PF and ESIC, as per corporation sources. Their present salary from GCC does not include PF or ESIC deductions.

Staff cleaning the site afterward.(Photo | P Jawahar)

Interestingly, the new employees (1,770) the company has already recruited will be getting Rs 565 per day for sweepers/helpers and Rs 640 for EV drivers, which is lesser than the salary the company is offering to experienced workers.

Suguna K, a protester, expressed that, “With my current salary of Rs 22,590, I’m barely managing to repay Rs 2 lakh loan with Rs 10,000 interest each month, pay Rs 8,000 rent in Choolai, and handle daily expenses. How does the corporation expect us to survive on just Rs 17,000?”

This isn’t the first time Chennai has witnessed resistance to privatisation in waste management. Similar protests occurred in 2018 under AIADMK regime, and again in 2020 when 10 city zones were outsourced to Urbaser Sumeet and Ramky Group. Ironically, the ruling DMK, which previously opposed such moves, has now continued the same model in Royapuram and Thiru-Vi-Ka Nagar zones.