Chennai Corporation conservancy workers on Thursday staged a protest against privatisation of conservancy operations and marched towards the Secretariat.
While on their way to the Secretariat, the protesters were stopped by the police from entering Swami Sivananda Salai. Traffic was disrupted for a while on Anna Salai.
The decision to privatise conservancy operations has led to frequent protests from the workers for the past few years. But the civic body has continued with its plan to privatise conservancy operations, especially in all the added zones of the Corporation.
Zones such as Sholinganallur, Perungudi, Alandur, Valasaravakkam, Ambattur, Madhavaram, Manali and Tiruvottiyur are expected to be privatised shortly.
Protesting this, the conservancy workers held the march.
Many of the 20,000 conservancy workers of Chennai Corporation are contract labourers. The number is expected to increase after more zones are privatised in the city. Already, Ramky Enviro Engineers have been entrusted with the task of conservancy operations in Teynampet, Adyar and Kodambakkam.
Workers have also been demanding better wages from the existing private conservancy operator as the salary of the employees on the rolls of the Corporation is higher than that of the contract workers employed by the private operator or contractors.
Many women conservancy workers have been injured at work while sweeping arterial roads such as Sardar Patel Road. The compensation for such workers have also not been provided by the private conservancy operator, the protesters charged.
Some workers who have lost their life because of road traffic accidents caused during sweeping work at night have also not received compensation. “Privatisation may be good for the corporation as the civic body may save money. But many workers are losing their lives and livelihood. They do not have a voice,” said a worker.