Daijiworld Media Network - Chennai

Chennai, Nov 1: Nearly 200 sanitation workers from the Royapuram and Thiru Vi Ka Nagar zones, who reported for duty on Saturday morning, were detained at various community halls in Arumbakkam, Maduravoyal, and Nerkundram.

The workers, who have been facing severe hardship due to three months of unpaid salaries, said they resumed work out of concern for public health during the North-East monsoon season, despite not expecting their dues to be cleared immediately.

Their primary demand remains reinstatement under their previous employment terms — directly under the Greater Chennai Corporation — rather than being employed through the private waste management contractor, CESPL of the Ramky Group, which currently handles operations in these two zones.

Following large-scale protests in August, many workers have refused to resume duties, alleging that the authorities have failed to fulfill their earlier assurances.

Speaking to reporters, several detained workers expressed distress, saying that the prolonged delay in salary payments had left their families struggling for basic needs. They urged the government and corporation officials to intervene immediately and reinstate them under the corporation to ensure job security and timely payment.