The New Indian Express ·
Union wants TN to regularise sanitary workers based on seniority, holds stir
CHENNAI: Around 100 workers affiliated with the CITU’s Madras Corporation Redflag Union, which represents both permanent and contractual sanitary staff, launched a separate protest at the Ripon building on Thursday. Their primary demand is job regularisation based on seniority.
While the Uzhaipoor Urimai Iyakkam (UUI) is staging a protest seeking job regularisation for all sanitary workers who have completed five years of service, P Srinivasan, secretary of Redflag Union, said their demand is different.
“We understand that the corporation cannot regularise all workers at once. An employee can be made permanent only when there is a vacancy, or when someone retires or takes voluntary retirement. So, as and when vacancies arise, we want the civic body to regularise workers based on their seniority,” Srinivasan told TNIE.
He said over 100 workers of Zones 5 and 6, affiliated with their union, had not been reinstated after their contracts ended in July 2025. “We want the civic body to take them back into service,” he said.
The union is also demanding weekly offs and the repair of battery-operated vehicles used for garbage collection, as well as other vehicles used by civic staff. Meanwhile, UUI’s protest entered its 15th day on Thursday. Within the GCC premises, the organisers held a separate protest carrying the national flag and raised slogans saying there can be no freedom without job regularisation.