CHENNAI: Despite recently receiving two-month pending salaries after a prolonged delay, staff of Child Helpline (CHL) 1098 are plagued by yet another two-month delay in getting salaries. They continue to await for their dues from June and July and travel allowance from March, raising fresh concerns over recurring payment delays affecting employees across the state.

Staff members said that salaries for April and May were credited only recently after months of uncertainty. However, they alleged that delayed payments have become a routine issue rather than an exception.

According to employees, they have repeatedly raised the matter with authorities and highlighted it through the media, but salary disbursement and reimbursement of allowances continue to be irregular. “We were informed that the delay was linked to the late release of funds from the Ministry of Women and Child Development,” said an employee. “This kind of financial uncertainty continues to affect our daily lives.”

Several staff members also alleged that they were denied essential employment benefits such as Provident Fund (PF) and insurance despite working in an emergency service that regularly handles distressing and sensitive child protection cases. They said that the demanding nature of the job, coupled with delayed wages, had taken a toll on their mental and physical well-being. Field experts have reportedly described the situation as a form of labour exploitation.

The Child Helpline workforce includes supervisors, counsellors, coordinators and case workers, earning monthly salaries ranging from Rs 18,000 to Rs 28,000. One staff member claimed that only 40% of the salary was released in May and that June and July’s salary remains unpaid.

They also said conveyance expenses incurred during child rescue and rehabilitation operations were often reimbursed only after significant delays, placing an additional financial burden on frontline workers.