THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The inordinate protest launched by a section of sanitation workers in front of the city corporation office turned violent on Saturday when four of the protestors climbed the arch entrances of main office threatening to suicide in Thiruvananthapuram.
This is the third time the protestors have threatened to end life in the past 44 days since the strike was launched demanding right to work. On Saturday, the sanitation workers intensified their protest after the meeting called by the Labour Commission on Friday failed to find a solution to their problems. The workers were protesting demanding the release of 12 vehicles seized by the corporation.
The repeated protest at the corporation office is becoming a huge inconvenience to the public and on days when the protests are staged, the office hours are disrupted for many hours denying service for citizens. On Saturday also, owing to the protest, all three gates of the corporation office were closed.
Following calls, the Fire and Rescue Services officials arrived at the scene at 7 am. An official of the department involved in the rescue said that the workers climbed the arch entrance with rope, kerosene and matchbox. “It took us nearly 3 hours to pacify and bring them down. Later the police came and took them to the station,” said an official of the Fire and Rescue Services.
“Our protest has completed 44 days and even after the direct intervention of Labour Minister V Sivankutty, the corporation authorities are not trying to resolve the crisis. Several meetings were held since the launch of the protest but they are not giving us the seized vehicles,” said district joint secretary Kallayam Joy, Thiruvananthapuram Jilla Shucheekarana Thozhilali Union.
He alleged that health standing committee chairperson Gayathri Babu, who attended the hearing called by the deputy labour commissioner, insulted the workers by addressing them as low grade people. “We have decided to file a complaint for addressing us as a different class belonging to a different category. We were treated in a very bad way,” he alleged.
According to corporation officials, the vehicles were seized for illegally dumping waste in water bodies.
“The police have taken a case and the matter is in the court. For getting the vehicles they have to approach the court and as per the current law they will release the custody of the vehicles to them under certain conditions,” said an official of the corporation.