3 years after TN GO, Chennai Corporation yet to hike wages of unskilled employees

The Corporation employees are receiving Rs 379 despite a 2017 government order hiking pay of unskilled employees to Rs 500.
The sanitation worker sprays disinfectants during the lockdown to curb spread of coronavirus in Chennai
The sanitation worker sprays disinfectants during the lockdown to curb spread of coronavirus in Chennai
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Three years after the Tamil Nadu government order revised the minimum wage for employees under a local authority, the Greater Chennai Corporation is still yet to increase the salary of unskilled employees. The minimum wage as per the 2017 order stands at Rs 500 per day excluding allowance, while the amount currently paid by the Greater Chennai Corporation for an unskilled contract employee stands at Rs 379.

The unskilled labourers who have been now pressed into services during the COVID-19 pandemic include sanitation workers, sweepers, watchmen, cleaners and wireman helpers.  According to the government order, an unskilled labourer should be paid Rs 13,000 per month which comes to Rs 500 per day excluding allowance. The order also directed the Corporation to pay Dearness Allowance based on the consumer price index of the city. As per Chennai’s consumer price index, the Corporation needs to hike the DA by Rs 37.25 per month. This means the Corporation needs to pay Rs 624 per day including the dearness allowance, say employees.

The General Secretary of Chennai Corporation Red Flag Union Srinivasulu said, “The Corporation hired temporary staff during the coronavirus pandemic and the workers are paid Rs 500 per day. However, the contract employees who are working with the Greater Chennai Corporation for more than 10 years receive only Rs 379. When we asked, Chennai Corporation officials said that they are paying the temporary staff with the special fund allotted by the government. However, they do not have adequate funds to pay the Corporation contract workers immediately.”

The Corporation, he alleged, told them the Government Order was not applicable to the workers in Chennai Corporation. “If we calculate the amount that was denied to each employee for three years, even the approximate amount will cross Rs 1 lakh. The Corporation was giving us Rs 362 till the beginning of last year. But we started a sit-in protest for three days and we received a hike of Rs 17. Now this is the third year since the Government Order was passed and still they have not hiked the salary,” said Srinivasulu.

The Chennai Corporation workers staged a protest last week. However, the General Secretary said, “The Corporation has asked us to provide time but we have been putting forth the demand from May and we have not received any positive response. We are planning to meet and decide on the next step on August 13.”

Despite attempts by TNM, officials of the Chennai Corporation were unavailable for comment. The copy will be updated once we receive a response.

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