Statement received from All India Central Council of Trade Unions (AICCTU)
Thousands of sanitation workers in Chennai, including many women, have been staging a sit in protest outside the Ripon Building since 1 August, opposing the Greater Chennai Corporation’s decision to privatize waste management. Privatisation will cut their salaries by nearly Rs. 8000 (from around ₹22,500 to ₹15,000) and threaten their job security. Police forcefully evicted workers from the protest site and detained them on the midnight of 13 August. The AICCTU statement below condemns the arrests and demands immediate release as well as withdrawal of outsourcing.
AICCTU strongly condemns the midnight arrest of women sanitation workers and their leader comrade Bharathi
Demands
Immediate Release of all sanitation workers and their leaders!
Permanency of Employment
A Big “No to Outsourcing!”
AICCTU strongly condemns the midnight arrest of thousands of women sanitation workers along with the union president and also the state president of AICCTU, comrade Bharathi, on 14th August 2025 who were on a sustained path of struggle, for the 14th day, demanding permanency and against illegal outsourcing of the work in zones 5 and 6 of the Chennai Corporation.
The Supreme Court has categorically ruled that sending the people employed under direct payment to contract system is illegal. Still, the government violated the law and is forcing women sanitation workers to accept contract system by refusing employment under the existing arrangement of direct payment system. Workers refused and consequently, are being repressed by the state government through midnight arrests.
In addition to refusal of employment and denial of rights, the government has violated the law that strictly prohibited any change in service conditions, including refusal of employment, while pendency of a dispute.
The Chennai Corporation, cabinet ministers and Tamil Nadu government are playing into the hands of contractors lobby while denying workers’ natural legal claim for permanency.
Moreover, workers are receiving a monthly minimum wage of Rs 753 per day under direct payment system while they are being forced to join a contract system that will pay them only Rs 563 per day.
Hence, it is not only a refusal of employment but also a drastic reduction in wages—both are strictly prohibited by law.
The DMK-led state government, which claims to be a Dravidian Model government, refuses to address the issues of livelihood, rights and social dignity of thousands of the most downtrodden women sanitation workers. Rather, the government only asked workers to vacate the struggle site and cunningly set up a PIL to force workers to vacate.
The government has not proposed any alternative site for continuing the struggle but is using force to arrest workers.
It was another story that outsourcing was introduced in remaining ten zones when AIADMK was in power, which was promptly opposed by the then opposition party, DMK. In fact, Mr Stalin, the Chief Minister now, wrote a letter to the AIADMK government then, in support of sanitation workers struggles and for their permanency.
Moreover, the DMK manifesto of last assembly elections also assured regularisation of services of workers in government services who crossed ten years of service. The government deceived workers on this promise too like they did in case of restoration of OPS (Old Pension Scheme).
The so-called social justice government, led by DMK, has denied justice to the most downtrodden section of the society who face the treble oppression in terms of class, caste and gender.
The struggle of thousands of sanitation workers of Chennai Corporation was led by comrade Bharathi, the Tamil Nadu state president of AICCTU and also the president of Uzhaippor Urimai Iyakkam (Toilers Rights Movement) and the advisor comrade Kumarasami.
AICCTU and its affiliate, all India Municipal and Sanitation Workers Federation (AIMSWF) will organise demonstrations across the country on 18th August 2025 and send memorandum to the Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu in support of the struggle and demands of sanitation workers of Chennai Corporation.
AICCTU Demands:
– Immediate Release of all workers and their leaders!
– Initiate Action against those who are responsible for the Illegal Crackdown on Workers and Activists!
– Roll back Outsourcing!
– Grant permanency to all workers!
– Fulfil the Election Promise!
AICCTU HQ
Delhi
14 Aug 2025