COIMBATORE: Sanitary workers in Coimbatore on Thursday attempted to besiege the City Municipal Corporation's main office in Town Hall in support of their multiple charter of demands including regularisation of jobs.
The protesters were detained by the police and removed from the place.
This happened several hours after Chennai Corporation's sanitary workers were detained by police following their 13 days protest against privatisation.
The slew of demands of the sanitary workers in Coimbatore include, ensuring regularisation of jobs, fixing the working hours from 7 am to 1 pm, implementing the minimum wage of Rs 770 per day, and giving compassionate ground appointment to the family members of deceased sanitary workers as announced in the DMK’s election manifesto.
"Out of 8254 sanitary workers in Coimbatore Corporation, 5544 workers have been kept under the contract list since 2010. They are supposed to be paid Rs 23,100 as salary per month. But, the private contract firms pay them below Rs 16,100 per month. If the workers take leave, wage will be deducted for the days," said ER Tamil Nadu Selvam, general secretary of Tamil Nadu Annal Ambedkar Sanitary Workers Union.
"Against it, we staged a protest on May 5 and staged a seven-day strike from June 9, 2025. In the negotiation by the corporation, it had asked a time for 40 days but they failed to keep the assurance," he added.
In view of the protest announcement made by sanitary workers, security was tightened in front of the city corporation's main office and at several main junctions to prevent gathering of protesters.
Meanwhile, the city police detained around 40 trade union functionaries and members near the CCMC office when they were attempting to assemble there.
Trade union leaders claimed that many sanitary workers were blocked and sent away by the police at a distance of two km radius from the CCMC office.