Facing issues over frequent change of contractor: Thanjai sanitary staff

TIRUCHY: Alleging that frequent change in the contractors is affecting the daily schedule of cleaning works, a group of sanitary staff approached the Collector on Monday seeking his intervention into the issue.

According to the sanitary staff working in Thanjavur Corporation, as many as 250 were appointed in 2002 when it was municipality and the contract was given to a particular firm. However, the contract was changed to another group in 2002-03, then in 2004-05, later between 2017 and 2020 and it was again changed in 2020-21.

Meanwhile, the sanitary staff were termed as unskilled labourers on September 7, 2021 and a wage of Rs 429 per day was fixed. On October 10, 2022, the wage was increased to Rs 550 per day, but no worker was given the actual pay, they claimed and charged that the contractors have been reducing at least five days a month.

The staff did not complain fearing job loss. “Since the sanitary works are outsourced by the civic administration, we are not able to approach the civic administration, who refused to intervene in the issue,” they mentioned in a petition submitted to Collector Dinesh Ponraj Oliver.

The workers also claimed that many of them were serving for more than 21 years, but till date not a single worker has been regularised. So, they appealed to the Collector to intervene and ensure that their services are regularised. The collector received the petition and assured to forward it to the Corporation Commissioner.