COIBATORE: The sanitary labourers’ association urged Coimbatore City Municipal Corporation (CCMC) to ensure that no sanitary workers are laid off during the transition of outsourcing the garbage collection work to private players.
Recently, the civic body has begun the process of outsourcing the segregated garbage collection and waste management work to private players, which was largely opposed by the sanitary workers. The workers organised several protests against the decision.
However, CCMC said the decision cannot be revoked as it is a government decision. Adding to this, rumours of CCMC laying off 525 contract sanitary workers began spreading like wildfire. Tamil Nadu Annal Ambedkar Sanitary Workers Welfare Association’s General Secretary Selvam said, “There are a total of 3,391 contract labourers, 453 truck drivers & cleaners and 640 DBC workers working in Coimbatore corporation. It is said that 525 people who have been working for many years with the CCMC are going to be fired. We strongly condemn this. We will go on strike if any of the workers are fired.”
“Some of us are forced to work from 6 am to 3.30 pm. If we don’t, the companies will not allow us to sign the attendance register. Also, no weekly off is provided to the employees. The days when we take off from coming to work are being written off as absent. The civic body must deal with the contract company properly and ensure that the necessary rights of the sanitary workers are preserved,” he added.
The representatives of the sanitary workers’ welfare association also submitted a list of demands with the CCMC Commissioner M Prtahap which include providing a weekly day off with no salary cut, fixing and following the work hours of starting work hours by 7 am instead of 6 am, and salary hike among others.
However, CCMC sources rubbished the rumours and said that no sanitary workers would be fired.