MADURAI: After a series of conciliatory talks with the Madurai Corporation officials, sanitary workers affiliated to the Centre of Indian Trade Unions (CITU) withdrew their proposed indefinite strike on Sunday evening that was scheduled to begin on October 21.
Official sources from the corporation said that multiple rounds of talks were held between the corporation officials, representatives of the private agency managing solid waste operations, and the CITU leaders. Following talks, the company agreed to reinstate all 23 workers. In addition, the management also released advance payments of Rs 10,000 to Rs 20,000 for sanitary workers in view of Deepavali. Even the reinstated 23 workers were provided with advances.
M Balasubramanian, CITU Sanitation Workers Association secretary, told TNIE that the union had initially decided to go on strike as the earlier assurances given by both the civic body and the outsourcing firm were not honoured. “We were forced to issue a strike notice under the Tamil Nadu Industrial Disputes Rules, 1958, as workers’ grievances over wage irregularities and unfair treatment remained unresolved,” he added.
The CITU had served the formal strike notice on October 7 to both the corporation and the agency. The notice alleged that the outsourcing firm had violated several provisions of the Contract Labour (Regulation and Abolition) Act, 1970, and contractual norms, while also causing substantial revenue losses to the civic body.
Balasubramanian added that the union would continue to monitor the implementation of the assurances.