These temporary workers are demanding that their employment should be regularised and their salaries be raised.
Tamil Nadu Annal Ambedkar Sanitary Workers Welfare Association’s General Secretary Selvam said there should be 3 sanitary workers including a sweeper, garbage collector and a drainage cleaner for every 240 houses. Meanwhile, there should be over 6,000 permanent workers given the huge population of the city. However, there are just half of the workers for a city that produces around 1,200 tonnes of garbage every day, he added.Due to the strike for an indefinite period, the city of Coimbatore has to see heaps of waste and garbage bags lying on the roadside.
City Health Officer (CHO) Dr Pradeep V Krishna Kumar said that they tried to convince the sanitation workers to resume work and their demands will be heard soon but failed. The CHO said the state government is planning to revise G0 62 soon, owing to which, it has asked the workers to wait a while. He said the demands for ESI and PF benefits will be accepted and implemented soon.