165 Days Long Chennai Sanitation Workers’ Struggle Ends on a Positive Note

165 Days Long Chennai Sanitation Workers’ Struggle Ends on a Positive Note

After more than 160 days of relentless struggle, on January 12 the sanitation workers of Chennai, organised under UUI-LTUC–AICCTU, concluded their fight on a positive note with the DMK government agreeing to their core demands. The workers will continue to be paid directly by the Chennai Corporation, successfully defeating privatisation attempts. Minister P.K. Sekar Babu, along with Mayor R. Priya, visited the LTUC office to end the fast by offering juice to the fasting workers.

The Minister assured that the services of nearly 1,400 workers, who had been on a path of relentless struggle since 1 August 2025, braving arrests and cases and the police brutality would be restored by the end of January 2026. He also assured to protect wages and consider restoration earlier than the end of the month, preferably by 20th January, as requested by the UUI union president and the state president of AICCTU, Barathi, during a meeting with sanitation workers following the visit.

The struggle began after 1,400 temporary sanitary workers, protected under the Madras High Court’s order until 31 July 2025, were illegally terminated on 1 August 2025, after the government reference to the court. The corporation demanded that they forgo 5 to 20 years of prior service and accept employment with private contractors, despite an industrial dispute pending since 29 July 2025, in violation of the Industrial Disputes Act 1947. These workers are predominantly SC (Arundhadhiyars, Adi Dravidars), poor people of all castes, and women, many of whom are single parents.

A historic struggle began at Rippon Building on 1 August 2025, with workers sitting day and night in scorching heat and rain. All political parties, including DMK allies CPI, CPIM, VCK, and Congress, supported the strike. A police crackdown on 13 August 2025 led to arrests, but the High Court protected the leaders from arrest on 14 August 2025.The issue of sanitation workers and their struggle snowballed into a major political issue in the state.

The workers’ demands were restoration of employment under the same conditions as on 31 July 2025, with direct payment from the Corporation, along with compensation for lost wages and withdrawal of police cases.

Workers continued relentless weekly, and later daily, struggles, including standing hip-deep in the sea of Bay of Bengal, polluted waters of Koovam river or graveyards, to force the government to respond. They faced repeated arrests and remained without wages for over five months, while their families endured extreme hardship. The union UUI, LTUC–AICCTU, provided relief such as rice, oil, and dal twice.

From 17 November 2025, women workers undertook indefinite fasts in batches, lasting up to 57 days, with High Court permission. In support of the struggle, progressive intellectuals, activists, writers, professors, lawyers, and concerned citizens launched a signature campaign and addressed a press meet in solidarity with the sanitation workers.

CPIML Liberation congratulates the sanitation workers, especially the women workers, for sustaining their struggle and upholding their spirit in the face of all odds. We also extend our heartfelt congratulations to the union leaders at all levels, as well as to all citizens and progressive organisations who expressed solidarity with the workers’ long and courageous fight.

We hope the state government and Chennai Corporation will fulfill their promise to restore the services of the workers at the earliest.

A Brief Timeline of Struggle of the Chennai Corporation Sanitary Workers:
  • Nearly 1400 temporary sanitary workers enjoying the protection of the Madras High Court’s Order upto 31.07.2025, were thrown out of service by the corporation on 01.08.2025. 
  • The corporation asked them to forego their prior services ranging from five to twenty years and take up employment with a private contractor from 01.08.2025. This was done even as an Industrial dispute was pending before the Industrial Tribunal from 29.07.2025 regarding outsourcing. Therefore, it was contrary to the Industrial Disputes Act 1947.
  • These temporary sanitary workers are SC (Arundhadhiyars), SC (Adi Dravidars), poor of all castes and women. Most of these women are single parents. 
  • A historic struggle in front of the Rippon Building was waged from 01.08.2025. The workers sat in the platform day and night braving the scorching heat and pouring rain. All political parties in the state, including DMK alliance partners, notably CPI, CPIM, VCK and the Congress, supported the strike. There was a police crackdown on the night of 13.08.2025. The High Court came to the rescue of the leaders and granted them protection from arrest on 14.08.2025. The problems of sanitation workers inevitably turned into one of the major political issues in the state.
  • Since then, the workers were relentlessly waging struggles almost every week and were practically waging a struggle every day in the last two-three weeks. They even stood hip deep in the Bay of Bengal, the most polluted river like Koovam river in Chennai, stayed in the graveyard, etc., and tried to force the government to see reason. 
  • The police arrested them every time and released them very late in places from where they did not have facility to return to their homes. 
  • These workers remained without wages for more than five months, 165 days as on 12 Jan 2026. The union managed to collect and give them 25 kgs of Rice, 1 litre of Oil, and 1 kg of Dal once and another occasion 10 Kgs of Rice. Other than that, most of them were finding it difficult to survive because of loss of livelihood employment. While participating in the struggle they were able to manage, at least, one time food when under the police custody.  The children of the workers, the spouses, the parents were all suffering even without such a negligible relief. The most downtrodden people of Central North Madras are put to innumerable difficulties. 
  • The issue of permanency, the issue of the justification of outsourcing are all pending before the Industrial Tribunal Tamil Nadu. 
  • The workers were only demanding restoration of their employment on the same service conditions as on 31.07.2025, which was also a temporary employment but under direct payment system from the Corporation. 
  • There are enough vacancies in the adjoining zones and the outsourced zones of 5 and 6 of the corporation. 
  • The previous ADMK Government outsourced 10 zones. Only the 5th and the 6th zone of the corporation were outsourced since the DMK government came to power. DMK government faced a lot of hostility and criticism because of its attack on the poor, downtrodden sanitary workers. The union also demanded compensation for loss of wages for the past five months, withdrawal of police cases in addition to the status quo as on 31.07.2025. 
  • Starting from 17.11.2025 the women workers in batches of four were on an indefinite fast (for 57 days as on 12 Jan) to press the above demands in their union office after getting permission by an order of the Madras High Court. The first batch was on indefinite fast for 15 days, the second batch was on indefinite fast for 25 days, then, the third batch was on indefinite fast for 17 days. 

The prominent social activists, professors, writers, lawyers and intellectuals organised a signature campaign in support of struggling sanitation workers. The held a press meet on 5 Jan 2026 to appeal to the government to consider the workers’ demands positively.