Members of the Erode District Local Body Workers’ Association, affiliated to AITUC, has urged the State government to implement the increase of consolidated wage payment to conservancy workers (Thooimai Kaavalars) from the date of announcement and not from the date of issue of government order.
In a letter to the Chief Minister, AITUC district president S. Chinnasamy said that the Minister for Municipal Administration had on March 16, 2020 in the State Assembly announced that the wage of workers will be hiked from ₹ 2,000 to ₹ 3,000 per month. However, no government order was issued and the wage hike was not implemented in the past months. The union along with workers staged many protests and had also sent petitions to the government seeking to implement the wage hike and also pay the dues.
A Government Order No. 208 dated December 5, 2020 was issued by the Rural Development and Panchayat Raj Department that hiked the wages by ₹ 1,000 for 66,025 Thooimai Kaavalars working in 12,524 village panchayats in the State involved in solid waste management activities. The order said that wage hike will be implemented from the date of issue of the G.O. and not from the date of announcement in the Assembly.
Mr. Chinnasamy said that thousands of workers were involved in solid waste management activities across the State everyday and implementation of increased wages from the date of issue of government order is a big disappointment to them. “Wage hike should be implemented from the date of announcement in the Assembly”, he urged and wanted the dues to be settled to the workers.
