TIRUPATI: AS many as 152 contract sanitation workers staged a silent protest in front of the Revenue Divisional Office here on Monday, demanding the payment of their six months’ salary dues.
The workers, all women, have braved the pandemic and served at the Padmavathi Covid Care Centre (Padmavathi Nilayam). Though lauded as front line warriors, they were not reportedly paid their salaries from April to September. The dues would come to the tune of Rs 1.54 crore.
The workers, previously employed with the APTDC, were assigned to Padmavathi Nilayam three years ago. After the Covid Care Centre was opened, the government sought their services, and they continued as sanitation workers.
She said that they were hired for Rs 500 labour per day and extra pay for additional hours. “The government owes Rs 90,000 to 1 lakh on an average to each employee. Earlier, the government cleared two months’ salary dues in April and we toiled for the next six months with no pay,” Sujatha rued. Her colleague Revathi said they were under threat from coronavirus earlier. She further said that they were unable to find another job as they had worked as sanitation workers at the Covid hospital.