Sanitary workers employed by private agencies demand higher daily wages in Ooty.
The Nilgiris: Sanitary workers employed by private agencies have demanded higher daily wages in Ooty and have warned of staging a protest on May 26, if their demands are not met.
More than 100 sanitary workers are involved in keeping Ooty clean. The wage for a worker is Rs.420 per day, and the workers want it to be raised to Rs.800.
The sanitary workers said, "the lives of sanitation workers have been extremely difficult in the past few months. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic scenario, sanitary workers are toiling hard more than ever. Considering the hardships being faced by us, the private agencies employing us should pay higher daily wages. A petition to this end has been filed with the Nilgiris District Collector."
They further said, "if our demand for higher daily wages is not met, then the contracted sanitary workers will stage a protest on May 26."