Conservancy workers will get higher pay from private employer: Chennai Corporation Commissioner tells Madras High Court

The Greater Chennai Corporation (GCC) Commissioner J. Kumaragurubaran, on Wednesday (August 13, 2025), told the Madras High Court that the temporary conservancy workers, now protesting against outsourcing of sanitary work in zones V (Royapuram) & VI (Thiru. Vi. Ka. Nagar), would get a much higher pay after they get absorbed by the private entity.

The submission was made in a counter affidavit filed before Justice K. Surender who reserved his judgement on two writ petitions filed by Uzhaippor Urimai Iyakkam, an organisation representing the conservancy workers, with a plea to quash the resolutions passed by the civic body for outsourcing sanitary work in the two zones.

The judge deferred his verdict after hearing Advocate General P.S. Raman for GCC, senior counsel Vijay Narayan for Telangana-based Delhi MSW Solutions Limited which had bagged the contract work for sanitary works in the two zones and advocate S. Kumaraswamy for the petitioner organisation.

In his counter, Mr. Kumaraguruban said the outsourcing of conservancy work to private concessionaires was not new and that it had already been done in 11 out of 15 zones in the corporation over the years. In all those zones, the concessionaires had absorbed the self-help group (SHG) temporary workers serving the corporation.

Stating that 975 temporary conservancy workers were serving in zone-V and that 1,059 of them were working in zone-VI, the Commissioner said, Delhi MSW Solutions had floated a special purpose vehicle called Chennai Enviro Solutions Private Limited and has begun absorbing those temporary workers.

Stating that the private entity requires 3,809 workers, the Commissioner said it had already recruited 1,770 of them and was willing to absorb 2,034 SHG workers on a priority basis. He stated that around 275 SHG workers had already been absorbed and joined duty too.

“The second respondent [Delhi MSW Solutions] is issuing appointment orders to the workers with a higher pay than the Greater Chennai Corporation,” the counter read. It also stated that the cost to company for every worker was ₹20,136 and that they would receive a net salary of ₹15,357 per month.

Apart from this, the company had offered a welcome bonus of ₹3,000 per employee to those who join till August 7. Mr. Narayan told the judge that his client was willing to extend this benefit till August 31 as a goodwill measure and listed out other benefits offered to employees.

The senior counsel said the employees would also be provided with group personal accident insurance for ₹11.52 lakh, group term life insurance for ₹1 lakh, employees deposit linked scheme for ₹3 lakh, ₹2.015 lakh for accidental death and ₹55,000 for natural death.

Further, they would be entitled for 12 days of casual leave, 12 days of earned leave, double wages if they work on national holidays, marriage assistance of ₹20,000 for either self or children’s marriage from the labour welfare fund and scholarship benefits for pursuing degree, diploma and higher secondary courses.

Mr. Narayan said the company also conducts health camps for its employees and provides gifts as well as sweets during festive seasons besides issuing uniforms, masks, safety shoes with socks, raincoats, hand gloves and two soaps every month for maintaining hygiene.

“We [Delhi MSW] issue appointment letters in order to ensure job security for the workers and comply with all labour-related laws. We are in contract with the Chennai Corporation for the past 14 years in some of the other zones without any blemishes and it will be carried forward,” he said.