PF dues: Sanitary workers threaten to boycott IAS/IPS officers residences

They are also planning to take out a rally to the Secretariat on March 16.

The sanitary workers laid siege to the Ramky Enviro Engineers for allegedly not paying the general provident fund deducted from the workers’ salary for the last eight years. The firm that has been managing waste in three zones – Adyar, Kodambakkam and Teynampet – employs 5,116 workers.

Laying siege to its office here, MRFU president and former MLA SK Mahendran said that the workers had joined the company in 2012 for a monthly salary of Rs 4,000. “After working for eight years, they are still receiving a salary of Rs 8,000. The district Collector fixed minimum wages of Rs 379 a day, but it was also not paid. In contrast, the MLAs’ salary has gone up by 10 times in the last 10 years,” he said.

He complained that the company official had asked the workers for passport to claim General Provident Fund even though they had given copies of voter’s identity card and ration card. “The company is trying to cheat the workers of the PF money. The company has to pay about Rs 1.20 lakh for each worker for PF and gratuity. Overall, the company has to pay Rs 17 crore,” he alleged.

He warned that the workers would stop collecting garbage from the residences of the IAS/IPS officials if no action was taken against the private contractor. “We have planned to take procession toward the Secretariat on March 16 and also to move the Madras High Court against the company for cheating,” he said.