In Chennai, 87 cleanliness workers, including 65 sanitation employees and 22 supporters, were detained following a sea protest at Marina Beach.
The demonstrators entered the sea to protest the privatization of conservancy work, demanding permanent employment and reinstatement under the Greater Chennai Corporation instead of working under private contractors.
Despite repeated warnings from the Coastal Security Group to leave the water, the workers refused, leading police to intervene physically and remove them from the sea.
The protest is part of an ongoing agitation since August, triggered by the outsourcing of conservancy operations in the Royapuram and Thiru Vi Ka Nagar zones to private firms.
Many workers were previously employed under the National Urban Livelihood Mission scheme and lost their jobs following this privatization. Earlier protests had included sit-ins outside Ripon Building, where workers were also arrested.
Police have now filed cases against the protesters under two sections related to the sea protest.Union representatives stated that nearly 1,953 contract workers were terminated earlier this year due to this outsourcing, prompting the current wave of protests demanding job security and fair employment conditions.
The struggle by these workers highlights the larger issue of labor rights amid growing privatization of civic services in Chennai.