CUDDALORE: Over 4,000 contract sanitary workers employed by the Coimbatore City Municipal Corporation (CCMC) began an indefinite strike on Monday, a day after Deepavali, pressing for the fulfilment of a 32-point charter of demands, including regularisation of services, payment of statutory wages and bonuses, and better working conditions.
Workers belonging to six trade unions and welfare associations joined the protest under the banner of the joint federation of sanitary workers' unions. The agitation has disrupted garbage collection and sanitation activities across the city, with several streets witnessing an accumulation of household waste and firecracker debris following the festival.
According to CCMC officials, just over a 1,000 permanent sanitary workers were involved in clearing the garbage from the streets. As several thousand temporary sanitary workers are taking part in the strike, the permanent sanitary workers worked in three shifts on Monday to clear the waste across the city. Around 40 tonnes of Deepavali cracker waste were removed using 116 vehicles by the officials.
The corporation has deployed permanent sanitary workers to manage the situation by undertaking street sweeping, collecting garbage and clearing firecracker waste. However, the disruption is expected to continue if the strike remains unresolved.
On Monday morning, numerous workers assembled outside the CCMC's headquarters and raised slogans demanding justice. The unions said the decision to launch an indefinite strike was taken after discussions with the corporation over the Deepavali bonus failed to yield results.
According to the unions, the corporation has over 5,500 contract sanitary workers, including those engaged in Dengue Mosquito Breeding Prevention and Control (DBC), malaria prevention, underground drainage cleaning, Rapid Response teams, water distribution and waste transportation.
A major demand is the regularisation of all temporary and contract workers who have been serving the civic body for several years. The unions have also sought implementation of the minimum daily wage rates announced by the district administration. They alleged that while the prescribed daily wage had been revised to Rs 798 in July 2026, several contractors continued to pay workers considerably less.
The unions further alleged that some contractors had withheld wage arrears amounting to more than Rs 90,000 per worker over three years. They demanded that the corporation recover the pending amounts from the contractors and ensure that workers receive their full statutory wages.
Other demands include payment of the statutory 8.33% Deepavali bonus instead of the Rs 5,500 ex-gratia amount, provision of safety equipment, double wages for overtime, proper Employees' State Insurance (ESI) and Provident Fund (PF) benefits, and compensation to families of workers who died while on duty. They have urged the state to reconsider G.O. 181, issued on October 9, 2026.
The federation has issued a strike notice demanding that the corporation commissioner directly intervene and hold talks with the workers. Union representatives have insisted that negotiations should be chaired by the commissioner and that any assurances given should be in writing.
