Chennai, Sept 5:
Sanitory workers of the Greater Chennai Corporation (GCC) on Friday called off their 16-day old strike after a breakthrough was achieved in the talks with the Tamil Nadu government, which has accepted five of their key demands.
After a Ministerial team comprising Aadhav Arjuna, Rajmohan, Anand, CTR.Nirmal Kumar and B.Rajkumar addressed the striking workers earlier in the day at Ripon Buildings, where they are on strike for the last 16 days, to press their charter of demands that included abolishing contract systems, regularisation of their jobs and make them permanent employees with a minimum monthly salary of Rs.25,000, and timely payment of salaries, the workers agreed to call off their stir.
The civic workers unions also sought payment of monthly wages by the fifth of every month, weekly leave with pay, arrears from 2017 in accordance with GO (2D) No 62, and implementation of revised dearness allowance-linked wages from April 1, along with the arrears.
Other demands included menstrual leave for women workers, adequate uniforms, payment of earned-leave benefits in the month of sanction, restoration of the old pension scheme and immediate settlement of retirement benefits.
After addressing the workers, representatives of the civic workers held a meeting with the Ministers at the State Secretariat, during which the government agreed to five of their key demands.
Apart from agreeing to withdraw all the cases registered against them during the strike, the government also agreed to their demands of abolishing contract systems and regularise their jobs, besides settling long-pending issues, that included timely payment of salaries, paid weekly leave and social security benefits.
The Ministers also agreed to their request of having a direct audience Chief Minister Vijay.
A representative of the National Urban Livelihoods Mission (NULM) workers, who took part in the talks said, the 16-day strike was called off and that they are looking forward for more assurances during the next round of negotiations in the next couple of weeks.