Chennai: Anti-privatisation calls by contract cleanliness workers get louder even after 80 days
Job reinstatement first, food initiative later, say NULM workers
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CHENNAI: Even after the 80-day mark, the protest of contract cleanliness workers under the National Urban Livelihood Mission (NULM) is holding strong. Hundreds of workers gathered under the Left Trade Union Centre (LTUC) and All India Central Council of Trade Unions (AICCTU) banners at Rajarathinam Stadium on Saturday, pressing once again for reinstatement and job regularisation.
The NULM workers in Zones 5 and 6 of the Greater Chennai Corporation, who were made to work under private contractors, have been off duty since August 1.
"The demand is simple, honour the Chief Minister's assurance," said K Bharathi, president, state unit of LTUC. "Officials claim most workers have returned to Ramky, but that's a blatant lie. Around a thousand workers are right here, protesting," he said.
The protest, which lasted till evening, followed weeks of detentions and police crackdowns since the initial protest outside the Ripon building. Workers have repeatedly tried to reach the Mayor, councillors, and MLAs, only to be arrested or removed. Their demand remains unchanged. The government must fulfil its own 2021 poll promise to make sanitation workers permanent.
Leaders from several political parties, including the ruling DMK's allies like CPI, CPM, VCK, and Tamizhaga Vaazhvurimai Katchi (TVK), among others, participated in the protest and expressed their support. Speaking at the protest, CPM state secretary P Shanmugam assured solidarity with the protesting workers and urged the DMK government to fulfil the demand.
Many workers voiced frustration at the government's attempts to frame welfare measures as solutions. A woman worker asked, "The government announced free meals for us. Who asked for it in the first place?"
She added, "We sat outside the Ripon Building for weeks without food. We didn't ask for charity, we protested for our jobs, not food."
The workers said the agitation will continue until all dismissed workers are reinstated and their employment made permanent. The day-long protest ended with a renewed call for dialogue, as workers said they were prepared to continue their agitation peacefully until their demands are addressed.