The Greater Chennai Corporation workers launched an agitation, demanding compensation to families of front- line workers who died during the lockdown.
Participants of the agitation in the Teynampet zonal office said all civic workers would stop work for a few minutes on Tuesday as a mark of protest against the failure of the Corporation to give compensation to bereaved families of their colleagues.
“The families of police personnel who lost lives received ₹50 lakh compensation. But families of front- line workers of local bodies have not received compensation. The workers sacrifice their lives during the pandemic. But their families are yet to get any compensation,” said a representative of the workers.
Jobs sought
The participants stressed on the need for filling more than 2 lakh vacancies in various civic agencies in the State.
“Instead of filling vacant posts, the civic agencies hire workers under NULM (National Urban Livelihood Mission), leading to challenging conditions at work, particularly during a pandemic. This affects the entire family. The families of workers who lost lives should get jobs,” said a worker. The workers said the agitation would be held in Ripon Buildings.
A 40-year-old malaria worker of the Corporation, who was hired under the National Urban Livelihood Mission, died on Saturday after testing negative for COVID-19.
The malaria worker, who was at work in a testing centre in ward 116 of Teynampet zone, was admitted to the Government Stanley Medical College Hospital on May 3 after he reported breathlessness. He was declared dead on May 9, after testing negative for COVID-19. The family of the worker was yet to receive any compensation. Many workers have tested positive for COVID-19 in the city, affecting the containment measures.
