COIMBATORE: Sanitary workers called off their indefinite strike on Wednesday after Coimbatore City Municipal Corporation (CCMC) passed an order sanctioning a few of the demands,The workers went on a strike on 2 October insisting 16 demands that include wage hike and promotions. It was was withdrawn on October 4 after officials promised to pass a resolution in the council meeting about approving their demands.
However, as officials failed to keep their promise, over 4,000 sanitary labourers resumed their protest on Tuesday. On Wednesday, over 500 workers staged a protest in front of the corporation head office at Town Hall. Representatives and functionaries of the sanitary workers’ welfare associations and federation raised slogans against the civic body, state government and the corporation administration. CCMC Commissioner M Prathap, Mayor Kalpanan Anandakumar, Deputy Commissioner Dr M Sharmila, Health Committee Chairperson Mariselvan and other officials held talks with the sanitary workers’ representatives. CCMC Commissioner also passed an official order fulfilling a few of their demands and providing them with the order copy, following which the sanitary workers have withdrawn their strike.
CCMC Deputy Commissioner Dr Sharmila said, “An order has been passed that mentions providing a day-off once a week for all workers on a rotational basis, allowing workers to sign in the attendance register till 7 AM, handing over around 100 battery vehicles to the workers for garbage collection. But a few of the demands put forth by the representatives have been met barring the salary hike and job regularisation as the latter are policy-related decisions that need to be finalised by the government,” adding, “Corporation will send a detailed representation to the government on increasing the wages for the sanitary workers before November 5.” The Deputy Commissioner also revealed that the civic body will be setting up toilet facilities for the workers and has started preparing the estimates for it.
The federation representatives said that they have only temporarily withdrawn the strike and would resume it if the reply from the government after November 5 doesn’t come in their favour.Earlier in the day, BJP and MNM leaders extended support to the protest. Coimbatore South MLA Vanathi Srinivasan and a few MNM functionaries visited the workers in a show of solidarity.