More than 300 contract sanitation workers attached to the Perambalur municipality began a sit-in protest over alleged delays in releasing ₹55 lakh in provident fund dues and other employment-related demands, according to a report by Dinamalar.
The workers first stopped work and gathered outside the municipal office, where they staged a sit-in at the entrance. The protest began at 8 am and continued until noon, preventing Municipal Commissioner Leena Simon and other municipal officers and employees from entering the building when they arrived for work.
The workers are demanding the immediate release of their pending Employees’ Provident Fund contribution amounting to ₹55 lakh. They have also called for an end to what they described as coercive treatment by employees of the municipal contract agency working with sanitation staff.
Among their other demands is action against the contract agency, which the workers alleged had not been registered in accordance with the law. They also want the municipality to directly monitor the wages, provident fund and Employees’ State Insurance details of contract sanitation workers through municipal office staff in the future.
The protest led to police intervention after Deputy Superintendent of Police Suresh and other personnel reached the municipal office. Police held discussions with the sanitation workers and Municipal Commissioner Leena Simon. During the discussions, the workers were assured that steps would be taken to hold talks on their demands and work towards a resolution at the earliest, the report said.
Following the discussions, the workers allowed the municipal office to be opened after a further period of about two hours. However, they said they would continue their protest until their demands received an appropriate resolution. The workers were reported to be continuing their wait-and-watch protest inside the municipal office premises on the same night.
The dispute places municipal sanitation workers at the centre of two linked administrative issues: the continuity of essential urban services and the monitoring of labour obligations when civic bodies rely on contractors. The report does not state whether sanitation operations across Perambalur were restored or whether the municipality has verified the amount allegedly pending in provident fund contributions.
The immediate next step identified in the report is a proposed round of talks between the sanitation workers, the municipality and the contract agency to address the pending provident fund dues, employment conditions and monitoring of statutory benefits.
