Chennai Conservancy Workers Protest Privatization Amid Waste Crisis
At the centre of the storm is the Greater Chennai Corporation's decision to privatise solid waste management in several zones, a move that workers fear could take away their livelihoods. Nearly 2,000 workers employed under the National Urban Livelihoods Mission, or NULM are demanding just one thing: job permanency.
Most of these workers have been with the Chennai Corporation for over 15 years, but they remain on temporary contracts. Now, as operations in zones like Royapuram and Tondiarpet are being handed over to private firms, workers say they're being denied permanency, and instead asked to shift for lesser pay, fewer benefits, and no job security.
Some workers who used to earn ₹22,000 a month are now being told their new salary will be ₹17,000. They say that
The anger has been building since last year. In front of the Ripon Buildings, Chennai Corporation's headquarters, over 500 workers have staged a sit-in, demanding the government scrap the privatisation move and honour a long-standing promise: to make their jobs permanent.
That promise came from the DMK itself, in its 2021 manifesto. And back in 2019, when M.K. Stalin was Opposition leader, he even submitted a petition urging permanent employment for these very workers, according to protesters.
Now, the protests are gaining political traction. Leaders from across party lines, VCK, AIADMK, CPI(M), and Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK), have visited the site, voicing support and demanding that the State government act. Naam Tamilar Katchi is planning a protest in solidarity.
On the ground, support came in the form of water bottles, food packets, and shade from CPI and TVK cadres.
Meanwhile, parts of the city are already feeling the impact. Waste collection has slowed down or stopped in areas like Perambur, Tondiarpet, and Mannadi, with residents complaining of piling garbage and foul smells. The Corporation says nearly 1,400 conservancy posts are lying vacant, held up for the conservancy workers, currently protesting, to fill. To tackle this, temporary workers were deployed, said GCC.
While GCC defended its use of a digital punch-in app to monitor attendance, workers allege that the app system is unreliable and easily misused. They want the older biometric system restored, and privatisation rolled back.
For many, the fight is about respect, recognition, and the right to a dignified life for serving the city during lockdown due to COVID-19, floods and sweltering summers. Sanitary workers have spoken out about the lack of basic facilities, insufficient toilets, insufficient protective gear, and insufficient rest shelters to battle Chennai's scorching heat or heavy rains.
When AIADMK councillor J.John raised the issue of solid waste management privatisation and struggles faced by GCC conservancy workers at a Council meeting on July 30, Mayor R.Priya responded that the State has set up a welfare board for sanitary workers of both private and government agencies to avail of schemes.
Tensions soared often in 2024, when police detained a group of protesting workers in July, September and December. In September, especially, many, including women, waited late into the night — but no official came to hear their demands, claimed K. Bharathi of Labour Trade Union Centre (LTUC), who led the demonstration.
Even as protests continue, the GCC has made its position clear: privatisation will go ahead. Tenders were finalised, and contracts were handed over to private agencies by November. Facial recognition systems may replace app attendance, but the outsourcing plan, officials say, will not be reversed.
Reporting: Aloysius Xavier Lopez, Aishwaryaa R.
Video: Aishwaryaa R.
Script: Shikha Kumari A.
Voiceover: Sharmada Venkatasubramanian
Editing: Johan Sathyadas J.
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