With over 300 workers off duty, garbage collection in the three affected zones has been severely hit. Staff from neighbouring areas have been reassigned to manage the backlog and are working extended shifts.
Published Aug 05, 2025 | 4:30 PM ⚊ Updated Aug 05, 2025 | 4:30 PM
The protestors are demanding that the Corporation cancel the outsourcing plan and reinstate their services.
Synopsis: Over 300 sanitation workers in Chennai continued their protest for the fifth consecutive day on Tuesday outside the Greater Chennai Corporation headquarters, urging the cancellation of the GCC’s decision to privatise solid waste management in the Royapuram, Thiru Vi Ka Nagar and Ambattur zones. Senior AIADMK leader D Jayakumar, who joined the protests in a show of solidarity, said the DMK government’s refusal to engage with the protesters showed its disregard for worker welfare.
Sanitation workers in Chennai continued their protest outside Ripon Building, the headquarters of the Greater Chennai Corporation (GCC), on Tuesday, 5 August, demanding that the GCC roll back its decision to privatise solid waste management in Royapuram, Thiru Vi Ka Nagar and Ambattur zones.
There is also concern that deductions may be made from their pay in the name of benefits.
The protest, under the National Urban Livelihoods Mission (NULM) banner, entered its fifth consecutive day. While GCC authorities claim that outsourcing will improve efficiency in garbage clearance, protesting workers say the move will lead to job losses and exploitation.
With over 300 workers off duty, garbage collection in the three affected zones has been severely hit. Staff from neighbouring areas have been reassigned to manage the backlog and are working extended shifts.
The protesters, many of whom have worked in these roles for over a decade, said they were relieved of duty after the handover of waste management to a private agency on 1 August.
They are demanding that the Corporation cancel the outsourcing plan and reinstate their services.
Workers under NULM were previously earning around ₹23,000 per month.
Workers under NULM were previously earning around ₹23,000 per month. They fear that under the new private contractor system, salaries will fall to around ₹13,000–15,000, which they say will not cover basic expenses.
There is also concern that deductions may be made from their pay in the name of benefits, further reducing their take-home salary.
Former Fisheries and Administrative Reforms Minister and senior AIADMK leader D Jayakumar visited the protest site on Tuesday and expressed solidarity with the sanitation workers.
He sat on the ground with the protesters, raised slogans against the government, and joined in their demand for regularisation of jobs.
He also accused the DMK government for ignoring workers who had continued their duties during the pandemic and other crises, stating that sanitation workers deserved the highest wages, not insecurity and reduced salaries.
Addressing the media, Jayakumar said the government’s refusal to engage with the protesters showed its disregard for worker welfare.
He also questioned the ethics of naming welfare schemes after the Chief Minister using public funds, adding that the administration was functioning on “commission, collection, and corruption.”
(Edited by Dese Gowda with inputs from Veni EN)
