More than 300 contract sanitation workers attached to the Perambalur municipality continued their waiting protest on October 9 over pending provident fund dues of ₹55 lakh and other demands related to labour protections and contractor oversight.
The workers began a strike and staged a sit-in outside the entrance to the Perambalur municipal office, preventing the municipal commissioner and other officials and employees from entering the building. The protest began at 8 am and continued until noon, according to a report by Dinamalar.
The sanitation workers are seeking the immediate release of the outstanding Employees’ Provident Fund amount. They have also demanded an end to what they described as harassment by employees of the municipal contract agency and called for action against the contractor, which they alleged was not registered in accordance with the law.
Another demand is that municipal office employees should monitor the wages, EPF and Employees’ State Insurance details of contract sanitation workers in the future. The demands place the municipality at the centre of a dispute over whether employment-related payments and statutory benefits are being properly recorded and transferred for workers delivering an essential civic service.
The blockade resulted in municipal officials waiting outside the office after they arrived for work. Deputy Superintendent of Police Suresh and other police personnel later reached the municipal office after receiving information about the protest. They 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 soon and resolve their demands. Following the assurance, the protesters allowed the municipal office to reopen two hours later. The report does not specify whether any part of the ₹55 lakh provident fund arrears had been released or whether a formal settlement had been signed.
The workers, however, said they would continue their protest until their demands were addressed. They were reported to have remained at the municipal office premises in a waiting protest on the night of October 9.
The dispute has an immediate operational dimension because the protesting workers are responsible for sanitation work in the municipality. The supplied report does not state whether waste collection or other sanitation services were disrupted across Perambalur during the strike. It also does not provide details of the contract agency, the period over which the provident fund dues accumulated, or the number of workers affected by the alleged arrears.
The next step identified by the municipality was further talks with the sanitation workers to examine their demands and work towards a resolution. No specific date for those talks was reported.
