More than 4,000 Amma Canteen employees may get EPF, ESI benefits

Amma Canteens are run with women from self-help groups being employed to cook and serve food. “They are neither permanent employees nor are they contract workers. Because of this, we cannot provide EPF and ESI benefits,” a Chennai Corporation official said.

When asked about the reason for the move, the official said that the workers were demanding the civic body to provide such benefits for several years. “Meanwhile, the Employees’ Provident Fund Organisation (EPFO) also urged us to provide EPF benefits to Amma Canteen workers.”

A meeting was conducted at Ripon Building a few days ago to discuss the possibilities of providing the benefits to the women workers. Presently, the women employed in Amma Canteens receive a pay of Rs 300 per day. “Usually, we will send the money to the leader of self-help groups, who in-turn distributes salaries to other employees,” the official added.

According to another official, the civic body had taken steps to provide EPF to the women a few years ago and opened individual EPF accounts. However, the plan was dropped after the EPFO reportedly gave exemption from paying EPF for self-help group workers. “Recently, the organisation has sent notices to all the zones to provide benefits to the workers,” he added. It is learnt that the additional expenditure to be occurred was discussed in the meeting along with the legal possibilities. Also, a decision to send a proposal to the State government in the regard was taken at the meeting.

The first Amma Canteen in the city was opened in 2013. Presently, the civic body maintains 407 such facilities, including some in major government hospitals.