‘Rural sanitary workers should be recognised as government employees'

The Hindu

27-05-2025

Demanding to bring the rural sanitary workers under government employment, the workers staged a demonstration near the district Collector office here on Tuesday.
Annamayil, State president, Tamil Nadu Sanitary Workers Association, speaking at the demonstration, said that the workers despite employed for the government to serve the public were not given enough recognition for their work.
Almost every worker starts their daily work at 5 a.m. and ends their duty by around 5 p.m., but the renumeration they get was a mere ₹4,000, she added.
'Compared to the urban sanitary workers, who come under the corporation with a support base extended either through unions or parties, the rural sanitary workers are neither backed by any unions nor possess any knowledge of basic workers' rights,' Ms. Annamayil stated.
During the Covid-19 pandemic, the sanitary workers who were in the forefront of cleaning the streets, houses and preventing the spread of infection, were often portrayed by politicians and leaders as saviours and even subjected to ritualistic treatments, but they were yet to get the incentive amount of ₹15,000 which was announced by the Tamil Nadu government during the pandemic, she said.
Such ritualistic treatments might be enough to show the leaders' gratitude and open heartedness, but it does no good for the workers who toil their entire life by picking up rags and cleaning human wastes, she noted.
Worrying about the workers' lack of recognition as government staff, she said 'Even when the rules say that the sanitary workers must be provided identification cards, they have not got anything other than their attendance receipts.'
Aadhavan, district secretary, Adi Tamizhar Peravai, addressing the gathering, said that the workers even to get ₹4,000 salary, had to wait till 20th of every month.
When officials could be paid even before the beginning of every month, why the workers who work under the heavy sun and rain could not be paid on time, he added.
'Every time we represent the workers for timely payment of salary, the officials cite the lack of funds or delay in releasing the funds for their payment. How can this be accepted when lakhs of rupees as salary can be released on time every month,' he stated.
If the workers were paid their salary at the right time, why would they get stuck in the hands of private bankers who provide loans at exorbitant interests, he questioned.
Sahaya Philomin Raj of Madurai Legal Awareness Coordination Committee, said that 'Under the Manual Scavenging Prohibition and Rehabilitation of Manual Scavengers Act, 2013, the sanitary workers should not be employed to handle excreta. But, in rural areas, when the supervisor or any village head orders them to remove human or animal waste from the streets or nearby their houses, the workers have to listen to them.'
When the Act condemns such instructions and recommends strict action against the instructor, the rural administration, without any fear of repercussions, directs them to clean and remove human wastes, he added.
'To safeguard our children from such inhumane treatments, the sanitation workers have to take an oath not to involve their children in this job at any cost,' he stated.
As an act of resistance from the higher-ups, the sanitation workers should make use of the classes conducted by the legal awareness team to learn about the rights the Constitution has provided to them, he said.