Celebrity support pours in as cleanliness workers' protest enters day 12 in Chennai
Playback singer and social activist Chinmayi was among the first celebrities to visit the protesters, bringing them water and biscuits. "They are only asking for the jobs they were promised. They deserve both the jobs and their salaries," she said, adding that most of the protesters were women, many of them sole breadwinners of their families.
The Chennai Corporation Red Flag Union and sanitation workers continued their protest demanding an end to privatization in the Chennai Corporation (Photo: Hemanathan)
CHENNAI: Though talks and compromise efforts remain inconclusive, hundreds of National Urban Livelihood Mission (NULM) cleanliness workers who have been on a sit-in outside the Ripon Building on EVR Periyar Salai for nearly 12 days have been finding support from political parties, civil society groups and rights activists, they have caught the attention of an unlikely group -- celebrities.
Playback singer and social activist Chinmayi was among the first celebrities to visit the protesters, bringing them water and biscuits. "They are only asking for the jobs they were promised. They deserve both the jobs and their salaries," she said, adding that most of the protesters were women, many of them sole breadwinners of their families.
"My intention is to amplify their voices and support those working on the ground for them, " she said.
Bigg Boss fame Sanam Shetty recalled the contribution of cleanliness workers during the COVID-19 outbreak. "During the pandemic, they risked their lives to keep the city clean. I consider it my duty to stand with them in solidarity," she said, urging the government to fulfil their demands without further delay.
Actress Ambika, who is associated with the AIADMK, told reporters after meeting the workers that they were "demanding only what they deserve" and were "not being greedy". Insisting her visit was not political, Ambika said she missed MG Ramachandran and Jayalalithaa. "If they were alive, such a protracted protest would not have happened. It would have been resolved by now," she said.
Several other activists also expressed solidarity with the protesting workers, while leaders from various political parties — including DMK allies Congress, CPM, CPI, and VCK, as well as AIADMK and AMMK — visited the protesters. Actor and TVK president Vijay invited the workers to his party headquarters at Panaiyur.
CPI state secretary R Mutharasan, who met the protesters on Tuesday, said their primary demand was to end the contract system — a request he called neither unreasonable nor unfeasible.
The workers are opposing the Greater Chennai Corporation's move to designate them as private contractors in the Royapuram and Thiru Vi Ka Nagar zones and fear their monthly pay will be cut from the present Rs 23,000 to Rs 16,000.
