COIMBATORE: Around 100 sanitary labourers working with the Coimbatore City Municipal Corporation (CCMC) staged a protest near the South taluk office on Monday, demanding Deepavali bonus, ESI and PF benefits, hike in wages, and other benefits. Over 3,000 people who are working as sanitary labourers on a contract basis have been staging protests over the past few days to press for their demands.
Selvam, Tamil Nadu Annal Ambedkar Sanitary Workers Welfare Association’s general secretary, told TNIE, “For the past seven years, we have been denied bonus. Instead of providing us with a government-approved bonus, they give us a meagre amount. As per the rule, the civic body must provide workers 8.33 % of annual salary as bonus which is roughly Rs 16,640. However, the civic body refused it citing that such a clause is missing in the contracts signed by the contractor.”
CCMC commissioner M Sivaguru Prabakaran held a meeting with the protesters, and it was decided to give them Rs 4,700 as bonus. In 2023, the workers were given Rs 3,750.
Prabakaran told TNIE, “No other corporation in Tamil Nadu gives a similar amount to sanitary workers except for Chennai. In the past, the workers received only around Rs 2,000 to 3,000, this year we are providing them Rs 4,700. With the contract period for the solid waste management works given to the current private company expired, we are planning to include the workers’ demand of an 8.33% bonus in the next agreement.”
However, the sanitary workers have decided to file a case against the CCMC in labour court seeking bonus as per law.