As many as 180 daily rated part time employees, who have been working in various government departments, were arrested following protest demanding their regularisation. The arrested include 37 women.
The employees, belonging to Dinakooli Pakuthinera Oozhiarkalin Sangam (Dailyrated Part-time Employees Association) took out a rally urging the administration to accede to their demands.
A Rajendran, president of the Sangam, said they were working in various departments for many years -some of them over 20 years- in government departments without any benefits, leave or pension.
He said the workers were recruited through employment exchange after interview and were receiving only wages, which could hardly sustain their families.
Rajendran said some of the employees retired and they were not entitled to any pension benefits. He appealed to the government to regularise them in vacancies in various departments. The association leader said he would raise the employees’ demands with Chief Minister N Rangasamy, who agreed to meet them on Friday.