Around 500 conservancy workers, engaged on contract for the Coimbatore Corporation, staged a protest at the civic body’s head office in Town Hall on Tuesday morning.
The protesting workers, including a large number of women, were protesting against the Corporation recruiting 321 persons for conservancy worker posts, which they alleged was biased, illegal and wanted cancelled. They also demanded that they be given preference in appointment to the posts.
The Tuesday’s protest followed the a brief protest they held in front of the District Collectorate on Monday, during the conduct of the weekly grievance meeting.
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The presence of over 500 workers at the Corporation office also saw the police post its personnel there to prevent untoward incidents and prevent the protesting workers from blocking the Big Bazaar Street, which they threatened to do every now and then.
The workers were led by leaders of trade unions that included the CITU, Tamilnadu Annal Ambedkar Scavengers and General Employees Union, Janashakti Labour Union and AITUC.
As the leaders took turns to address the workers, Singanallur MLA N. Karthik reached the protest venue to address the workers.
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Later, the leaders along with a few workers met the Corporation Commissioner Sravan Kumar Jatavath. A few zonal assistant commissioners and sanitary officers were also present.
The leaders wanted the Corporation to pass a resolution for the regularisation of the contract conservancy workers. They also wanted to know why Corporation delayed making an appearance before the Labour Deputy Commissioner, where the trade unions had flagged a dispute for not regularising the contract workers' services.
E.R. Selvam of the Annal Ambedkar Union also wanted to know what was the Corporation's urgency in recruiting persons for 543 vacant positions when the relevant State Government order was three years old.
He also alleged that the Corporation had not only recruited candidates overlooking experienced contract conservancy workers it had also opened service records register against the recruited candidates’ names.
The norms for opening the service records register was 90 days and the urgency itself pointed out irregularity in recruitment.
Mr. Karthik said the Corporation recruiting 321 persons with majority of them being close to ruling party and they being from areas that fell in Minister for Municipal Administration S.P. Velumani’s constituency raised suspicion.
He added that experience had shown that over qualified persons recruited as conservancy workers had used their influence to work as office assistants or clerks or drivers and not for the job they were recruited for.
The trade union leaders said they were dissatisfied with Mr. Jatavath’s explanations and that they would intensify their protest in the days to come.