CHENNAI: Cleanliness workers continued their protest against the DMK government over wages and job security on Tuesday. Police arrested several protesters after some attempted to besiege Anna Arivalayam, while a few lay down under a bus, triggering tension in the area, said a Thanthi TV report.

The agitation, ongoing for over 150 days, began in July against the outsourcing of sanitation work in GCC Zones 5 and 6. Workers say they were informally barred from duty without written orders, resulting in months of lost wages, borrowings and repeated detentions.

Despite court-ordered eviction of a sit-in outside the Ripon Building, protests intensified, including rotating hunger strikes since November, with several women hospitalised. Workers now seek reinstatement under the GCC self-help group system rather than permanency, citing exploitation by private contractors.

While GCC employs about 7,000 workers directly or through self-help groups, over 14,000 sanitation workers are engaged via private contractors. Protesters argue that long years of service should ensure job security, accusing the government of treating the issue as a law-and-order problem instead of a labour dispute.

(With inputs from bureau)