Detained but defiant: Sanitary workers at Marina Beach demand dignity and their jobs back under GCC

CHENNAI: Nearly 50 sanitary workers from Royapuram and Thiru-Vi-Ka Nagar zones were detained on Wednesday after they entered the Marina Beach demanding reinstatement of their jobs directly under the Greater Chennai Corporation (GCC), instead of Chennai Enviro Solutions Private Limited (CESPL). The workers have been protesting the GCC's decision to privatise waste management for the past 97 days. They demanded that Chief Minister Stalin and senior government officials meet them in person to address their grievances. The protest at Marina Beach began around 11 am, when about 40 workers waded into the sea and raised slogans urging officials to visit the spot for talks. Police, and Fire and Rescue Services personnel rushed to the scene to rescue the protesters and bring them to the shore. Soon after, another group of 10 workers joined the demonstration on the beach sands. Instead of detaining us again and again, this time, the officials should come and hold talks here, said the protesters before they were taken into custody. However, despite repeated attempts by police to contact officials from the labour department and the city corporation, no representatives turned up. We have already held talks with the GCC Commissioner and Minister P K Sekarbabu multiple times in August, but they yielded no result. This time, we want Chief Minister M K Stalin and Minister K N Nehru to intervene directly, the workers said. The workers were eventually detained again around 1 pm on Wednesday. The protesting workers urged the state government to reinstate their jobs under GCC considering their livelihoods and the importance of maintaining public health during the northeast monsoon. Meanwhile, Uzhaippor Urimai Iyakkam president K Bharathi is set to address a press conference at the Chennai Press Club at 4 pm on Wednesday, sources said. Sanitary workers stage hunger strike, urge CM Stalin to fulfil his job promise