TENKASI: Sanitation workers of Shengottai municipality staged an ‘oppari porattam’ on Thursday in front of the municipal office demanding the state to make contractor ‘Raman and Co’ pay them their deserving wages and protective equipment.
The workers said while the district administration had fixed the wage at Rs 511 without gender disparity, their contractor was giving Rs 400 for men and Rs 350 for women. “The company took a three-year contract in May 2023 for carrying out sanitation works in the Shengottai municipality. The authorities of the company do not provide workers with basic personal protective equipment such as hand gloves, boot covers, face masks, shovels, buckets, sacks and soap.
They neither receive uniforms nor identity cards despite conducting several rounds of talks with the authorities and municipal administration. The contractor, who deducts both employee and employer shares from the workers’ wage, has not transferred the collected money to the Employees Provident Fund Organisation,” said M Velmurugan, district president of Tenkasi Maavatta Jananayaga Thooimai Paniyaalarkal Kaavalarkal Sangam.
He further alleged that against the 98 sanctioned posts of workers, the contractor only employed 56 workers and was swindling the wage of 42 workers with fake names and signatures. “Since the contractor has political influence, the municipal council members are supporting them, and were forced to end the protest,” he added.
About 40 sanitation workers took part in the protest. They dispersed after the revenue and police officials promised to organise a peace talk with the company after Deepavali. Meanwhile, sanitation workers in Alangulam town panchayat staged a protest on Wednesday demanding the pending salary for October.