CHENNAI: GCC Commissioner J Kumaragurubaran has issued orders to all 15 zones to establish Internal Complaints Committees (ICCs) under the Sexual Harassment of Women at Workplace (Prevention, Prohibition and Redressal) Act, 2013 at the zonal level. The decision comes in response to a TNIE report exposing alleged sexual harassment of sanitary workers in Ward 84 of the Ambattur zone.
Currently, ICCs function only at the head office and regional-level offices in the north, central, and south regions. The new directive mandates setting up of similar committees at the zonal level to ensure grievances are addressed closer to where they occur, including for frontline workers and sanitary staff.
The directive states that each ICC must have at least four members, with a minimum of 50% being women, and should be chaired by a senior female officer of the respective zone. Members must include individuals committed to the welfare of women. The committees will be responsible for addressing complaints filed by women employees from all offices within their jurisdiction, including zonal, divisional, and ward offices.
The GCC has also instructed that details of ICC members-names, designations and contact numbers must be displayed on notice boards in all above-mentioned offices.
Kumaragurubaran said, “First, we have instructed the zonal assistant commissioners to form a committee for each zone. All women workers will be informed about the committee. We will also call for monthly reports from each zone, and a specific format will be provided for submitting reports. Going forward, there will be a committee at Ripon Buildings to address concerns of women employees at the head office, committees in the three RDC offices to handle region-wise concerns, and committees in the zonal offices to address zone-wise issues.”
Chennai Corporation Red Flag Union general secretary P Srinivasalu said, “These zone-wise committees should not consist solely of zonal government officials but also include representatives from women’s welfare unions or NGOs. The ICC in Ripon Buildings rarely addresses complaints, often advising workers to steer clear of such issues citing their contractual status.”
Speaking to TNIE, a sanitary worker from the Ambattur zone said, “This is our first victory against these abusive supervisors. They should also ensure that inquiries are held in closed rooms, where we can speak freely without fear, and our identities are protected. Above all, our complaints must be properly recorded.”
The TNIE report detailed how the supervisor in the ward allegedly allowed certain workers to skip duties, and when questioned by other staff, retaliated by claiming that those workers had offered him sexual favours and asking if the others could do the same. Workers who approached the supervisor to request permissions were also reportedly subjected to abusive language and were asked to make ‘adjustments.’