Conservancy workers protest urging authorities to fulfil demands

Thousands of Madurai Corporation conservancy workers on Tuesday laid siege to Arignar Anna Maligai and also staged a demonstration on the premises urging the authorities to address their grievances including resolving the issues pertaining to Ourland, a private company, which has taken up the tender works for solid waste management.

The workers complained that there were issues with regard to the payment of minimum wages and also the workers were being ill treated by the Ourland staff who were given the task of supervising the workers.

They said that this was not the first time. Despite bringing this to the notice of the Corporation officials, the issues were not resolved, they said.

Though they had continuously staged protests, no steps were taken to address the grievances of the workers, they said. With no breakthrough, the workers said that they had no other option but to continue with the protests.

However, the workers withdrew their protest after the Corporation officials held talks with the workers and the representatives of Ourland.

The workers said that the officials assured them that their grievances would be looked into, including their demand to ensure that payment of minimum wages as per the rules were followed. They demanded that sacked workers be reinstated and ensure there was no harassment while they discharge their duties. They said that basic amenities should be provided to them.

They said that many workers who had questioned the ill treatment had been sacked. They said that the supervisors who ill treated the workers should be sacked instead. When the minimum wage to be paid to the workers was already fixed as per rules, how could it be denied to the workers, they said.

The protest by the workers had affected the solid waste management in the city in the last couple of days.