Over 1,000 Corporation workers protest for job regularisation

Usha (name changed on request), a 31-year-old conservancy worker, said she has been working as a temporary staff for more than a decade now. “However, we are made to work from 6.30 am to 1 pm daily, without a break for food or water. Moreover, we have been asked to source segregate the garbage but that is impossible due to our massive workloads, as vacancies are not being filled,” she complained. 

Srinivasulu, General Secretary, Chennai Corporation Red Flag Union, said they have been fighting this issue for the past three years. “Now, we have found out that the Corporation is planning to privatise the garbage collection in the zones recently included under the civic body’s purview. We got a stay order from the High Court against this in 2014. But we found out that an e-tender has been issued. NMR employees have no pension or insurance to fall back on. We are demanding the Corporation to regularise these workers,” he said. 

A senior official from the Corporation said, “The regularisation of the NMR workers is decided by the Government. If it is in the Corporation’s power, we can put a timeline to it.”