Trichy: Sanitary workers engaged in door-to-door waste collection held demonstrations near Melachinthamani on Monday to condemn the low wages paid by a private agency. The workers said their base wage was reduced from 575 per day after the Trichy corporation implemented the outsourced model of waste collection.
“While we were demanding the wage to be increased as per the wage fixed by the district collector, the private agency has paid only 421 per day to the workers after the deductions. This is unacceptable. Before privatising the waste collection, officials told us that the wages of workers will not be reduced,” K Suresh, a CPI councillor from ward 23 said.
The workers alleged that there were inconsistencies in paying wages among them. While a batch of workers recently recruited for all five zones was proposed to be paid 650 per day as their base salary, the existing workforce was paid much lower.
Municipal administration minister K N Nehru met the workers and assured to look into their demands.
Meanwhile, a senior corporation official said that irregularities in wages will be rectified from next month.