Chennai (Tamil Nadu) [India], August 6 : Hundreds of sanitation workers, employed under the National Urban Livelihoods Mission (NULM) continued their protest for the sixth consecutive day on Wednesday in front of the Greater Chennai Corporation (GCC), demanding a rollback of the civic body's decision to privatise solid waste management services in Thiru Vi Ka Nagar, and Royapuram zones in the city.
"We wont leave this place until we get the order," the protesting sanitation workers demanded, while sitting at the edge of the GCC office, barricaded and with a shaded canopy to help them from the sweltering sun.
One of the protesting workers, Subba, has appealed to Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin to "consider us as your daughters and sisters," and provide them with permanent employment.
"See us as his (CM Stalin's) daughters and sisters, and give us the one order we seek, to make us permanent employees. That alone is enough for us. We believed in this government, we voted for them, and even today, we continue to trust that the Chief Minister will support us," Subba told ANI.

She further alleged that despite them protesting for six days, no official or even a minister like PK Sekar Babu, who represents north Chennai's Harbour constituency, has visited them.
"Our only demand is job permanency. No official or minister, including PK Sekar Babu, has come to meet us. We have been struggling here for six days. We will not leave this place until we receive the order even if it costs us our lives," she added.
She claimed that sanitation workers only get paid Rs 23,000 per month. They were critical in helping during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Subba has also criticised the government for backtracking on their previous promise of giving permanent employment, while privatisation will "completely ruin their lives."
"We have worked tirelessly during the COVID-19 pandemic, during heavy rains, and in every critical situation. Yet, we are paid only Rs 23,000 a month. The government had earlier promised to make our jobs permanent but now, instead, they are pushing for privatisation, which will completely ruin our lives," Subba said.
The GCC recently announced plans to outsource solid waste management operations in Royapuram (Zone 5) and Thiru Vi Ka Nagar (Zone 6) starting from August 1. These are among the last remaining zones under direct GCC management. Currently, 10 out of 15 zones in the city are already being handled by private contractors, including Spain-based Urbaser-Sumeet and Andhra Pradesh-based Ramky Enviro Engineers Ltd (REEL). The privatsation of waste management started happening around 10 years ago, and continued during the AIADMK-led tenure too.
The protestors allege that the privatisation poses a serious threat to their job security, livelihood, and leaves them vulnerable to exploitation by private agencies.
The protests erupted after GCC officials informed the NULM workers on July 31 that they would now have to coordinate with the private agencies. Matters escalated when sanitation workers on the morning shift reported for duty on August 1 and were denied entry.
In response, many of the NULM-affiliated workers, several with over a decade of service, have boycotted work and joined the demonstrations.
Multiple trade unions, including the All India Central Council of Trade Unions (AICCTU), Left Trade Union Congress (LTUC), Labour Progressive Union (LPU) have joined in on the protest, all of them expressing strong opposition to the privatisation drive. They have called on the GCC to immediately reverse its decision and ensure the job security and rights of all sanitation workers.