Thoothukudi Sanitation Workers Strike: Unheard Demands Echo Across Tamil Nadu

Sanitation workers across the four zones of Thoothukudi Corporation in Tamil Nadu staged a significant one-day strike demanding long-overdue justice on several issues. Despite receiving a green light in 2017, workers claim the state has not executed promised improvements. The strike, which took place on Wednesday, highlighted demands for enhanced working conditions, necessary safety equipment, and fair wages.

Representative of the Labour Union, Sakhayam, voiced the workers' grievances, stating that neither gloves nor face masks were supplied to them, posing a threat to their safety. Additionally, he criticized the inconsistencies in salaries and highlighted unjust transfers of union members, many of whom were relocated 25 kilometers away, allegedly as a retaliatory measure.

The protest coincides with national labor unrest exemplified by a 'Bharat Bandh' organized by left-aligned trade unions. The call for the bandh was directed against central government's economic policies, which they argue are eroding workers' rights. The disruption extends to sectors like public transport, government services, banking, insurance, postal services, and industrial production.

(With inputs from agencies.)