Report of correspondent of Workers Unity Movement
Over two thousand sanitation workers working in zones 5 & 6 of the Chennai Corporation went on a protest against privatization of sanitation services. They launched their agitation on 1 August 2025 in front of the Ripon building, head office of Chennai Corporation. It must be noted that out of 15 zones under Chennai Corporation, 11 Zones have already been handed over to private contractors under the previous AIADMK government.
The workers of zones 5 & 6 are currently under the National Urban Livelihoods Mission (NULM) scheme of the Chennai Corporation. They have been fighting against the threat of privatization of their services for the past four years. Under NULM, they have been receiving about Rs 23,000 per month now. They fear that after privatization, their salary would be reduced to Rs. 15,000 to 18,000 per month. Furthermore, the private contractors do not employ workers who are aged 40 and above.
In spite of massive opposition to privatization of their services, the Chennai Corporation went ahead and handed over the sanitary services of Zone 5 & 6 to Ramki, a private contractor effective from 1st of August.
Workers, led by their union Uzhaipoar Urimai Iyakkam (Workers’ Rights Movement) refused to accept this and they went on protest agitation.
The agitating sanitation workers put up temporary shelters on the pavement. Thousands of these men and women carried on their agitation day and night. With no water and toilet facilities around that area and under the scorching sun and pouring rains, they militantly carried on their just agitation against privatization of this public service and demanding permanent jobs under Chennai Corporation.
Their just struggle received massive and militant support from many trade unions and workers organisations. Besides expressing support for their struggle, these organisations also contributed financially to the agitation. Thousands of people from various sectors went daily to the protest site to support the agitation. People denounced the pro-capitalist and anti-worker privatization program of the Government. They called for immediate withdrawal of the privatization plan.
However, the Government of Tamilnadu headed by DMK, which claims to be implementing programs to provide social justice for the downtrodden and looking after all sections of people, blatantly refused to withdraw the privatization of sanitation services. It refused to give any commitment to ensure jobs for all workers and permanency. On the contrary, it unleashed savage repression on the workers, in a bid to crush the agitation.
The Madras High Court ordered forcible eviction of the workers from the protest site. Police brutally attacked and arrested the agitating workers on the midnight of 13th August.
Workers are pointing out that on 19 January 2021, the present Chief Minister, who was then leader of the opposition in the Tamilnadu Assembly, had written a letter to the then AIADMK government demanding that 12,000 temporary workers of Corporation should be made permanent. Workers are also highlighting the DMK’s election promise to fulfil the demands of the sanitation workers. They are pointing out that now the Chief Minister is refusing to even meet their representatives and listen to their grievances. It shows how any party which takes charge of the government in this system works to implement the agenda of the capitalist class, no matter what it promised when some other party was in charge of the government.
Following the brutal attacks on the agitating sanitation workers in Chennai, the support for the fighting Chennai Corporation Sanitation workers has multiplied all over Tamilnadu. The sanitation workers of all Corporations, such as Madurai, Tiruchi, Salem, Coimbatore, Erode as well as Panchayats and villages in Tamilnadu have raised the same demands as well as extended their militant support for Chennai Corporation workers by carrying out massive agitations.
People all over Tamilnadu are raising important questions – if a government is unable and incapable of providing the most essential services such as sanitation, education and healthcare for its citizens, and instead hands over such services for private profit, should such a government be allowed to exist? What should be done with political parties which make promises to people, but later refuse to implement them?
Workers’ Unity Movement calls on all sections of the working class in Tamilnadu to extend wholehearted support to the struggle of the sanitation workers. Let us wage the struggle against privatisation and all attacks on our livelihood and rights with the perspective of replacing the rule of the bourgeoisie with the rule of workers and peasants. Then we will be able to ensure that the economy is oriented to fulfil the needs of the whole of society, and not the drive of the capitalist class for maximum profits.
Inhuman conditions of Sanitation Workers of Chennai
Sanitation workers all over Tamil Nadu play a very important function of keeping the environment clean and prevent spread of diseases. In cities like Chennai, these workers get up very early morning in order to reach their work places by 4 AM and start their work. They are not even provided with any transportation to reach their work places. They are not provided with adequate safety devices such as hand gloves, face masks, etc. to protect themselves from infectious diseases and accidents. They are forced to work in most inhuman conditions and do not get weekly offs, festival holidays or sickness leave. For all the backbreaking work and terrible work conditions, they are treated as dirt and they are paid far below the prescribed minimum wages. All over Tamil Nadu, they are fighting for adequate wages, permanency of jobs and other fair benefits.