Malaria workers of the Greater Chennai Corporation Zone 7 protested outside Ripon Buildings on Tuesday, opposing their employment as private contract workers. As many as 109 protesting workers were arrested. They were released in the evening.
M. Senthil Kumar, one of the workers, said they were initially engaged under the Swarna Jayanthi scheme of the Central government and then under the National Urban Livelihoods Mission.
“We were, however, told earlier this month that we are now employed under a contract as private workers. There was no intimation beforehand and none of us were aware of this change,” he alleged and said that over 220 of them had been striking work from August 22.
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They demanded that they be made government employees and asked for a wage raise.
Mr. Senthil also said that they submitted a representation to the health department and were told that the issue will be heard.