COIMBATORE: Heated exchanges broke out between sanitary workers and officials over wage revision during the weekly grievances redress meeting at the Coimbatore City Municipal Corporation (CCMC) head office on Tuesday.
On December 29 last year, the corporation council unanimously passed a resolution increasing wages of sanitary workers from from Rs 323 to Rs 648 following a series of protests by the latter. The workers initially demanded Rs 721 but agreed to what the corporation offered them.
On Tuesday, the workers accused the civic body of not paying them the promised wages. A heated exchange broke out between the workers and officials including mayor Kalpana Anandakumar and commissioner M Prathap over the issue.
Coimbatore district sanitary workers labour union federation and demonstration committee co-ordinator N Panneerselvam told TNIE, “Majority of the sanitary workers are yet to receive salary. On Tuesday, only a couple received the wages. While the civic body had promised us Rs 648 daily wages, workers received only Rs 421. We were promised something but got something. We’ve been cheated. Already the Madras High Court has condemned the CCMC for exploitation of sanitary workers. The civic body must give us the promised wages.”
Speaking to TNIE, CCMC Commissioner M Prathap said, “The revised pay of Rs 648 includes deductions towards ESI, PF and CPS. But the workers have misunderstood the hike and are now demanding us to provide Rs 648 as net salary. As the new salary is being implemented, the distribution for the workers was delayed. While a few workers received Rs 415, a few of them had received Rs 421. We shall rectify the anomalies and ensure all workers receive the fixed wages of Rs 486 after all the statutory deductions.”