Plea for higher wages to sanitary workers in rain-hit Chennai

The Madras High Court today issued notice to Tamil Nadu government on a petition seeking payment of Rs 1,650 per day to the sanitary workers mobilised from different parts of the state for cleaning the garbage dumped by the recent floods in the city.
Justice K.Kalyanasundaram issued notice returnable in two weeks when the petition by Dr.Ambedkhar SC/ST Workers Welfare Association, represented by its State President R.Anbuventhan, came up before him.
The petitioner submitted that due to the unprecedented downpour in Chennai, Kancheepuram, and Thiruvallur early last month, the state government had brought sanitation workers from across the state and other states such as Andhra Pradesh to clean the flood-devastated Chennai.

The workers were forced to work for nearly 12 hours a day without any protective gear such as boots or face masks and not provided good food and shelter, he alleged.
They were directed to clean waste and garbage, including human, animal and bird excreta and carcasses found in the streets of Chennai.
He further claimed a "Government Order" was posted in the official website of the state government assuring Rs.2000/- per day to the permanent sanitary workers whereas others were paid only Rs 300 per day.
This amounted to discrimination as the other workers who came from outside also did the same work as the permanent workers.

Stating that the permanent worker's regular salary worked out to Rs 450 for six hours of duty, the Association submitted that as per this the mobilised workers have to be paid Rs.900 per 12 hours of their work. Besides, they need to be given Rs 500 for undertaking hazardous jobs and Rs 250 towards daily batta, aggregating Rs 1,650 per day.