PMK president Anbumani has alleged that more than 600 security and maintenance workers employed at Chennai Corporation’s social welfare centres have not received their salaries for two months, while staff at Sakhi integrated service centres have reportedly gone unpaid for four months. The allegation was carried by Dinamalar in a report published on October 30, ahead of the Deepavali festival.
According to Anbumani’s statement quoted in the report, the workers are engaged across 113 social welfare centres owned by the Greater Chennai Corporation. The group includes security guards and maintenance personnel working on contract or through outsourcing arrangements. The statement described them as low-paid workers whose earnings are already limited.
Anbumani also alleged that employees at Sakhi integrated service centres, which assist women and children affected by violence, had not been paid for four months. The report did not include a response from the Greater Chennai Corporation, the Tamil Nadu government, the agencies responsible for contracting the workers or representatives of the affected employees.
The issue highlights the administrative chain behind essential urban services. Although the workers may be employed through contractors or outsourcing agencies, their work supports public facilities operated by or associated with the municipal system. Delays in payments can therefore affect workers directly while also raising questions about contract supervision, release of funds and accountability for outsourced civic services.
Anbumani’s statement said Deepavali was about a week away and claimed that the workers were unlikely to receive a festival bonus or advance payment. He argued that withholding even their regular wages for several months would make it difficult for them to meet daily expenses and observe the festival without financial distress.
The allegation is particularly relevant to Sakhi centres because their stated function involves support for women and children facing violence. The supplied report does not provide details on whether the centres have remained operational, whether staffing has been affected or whether any services have been disrupted. It also does not identify the contractors involved, the value of the contracts, the sanctioned wages or the reasons cited for the alleged delay.
Anbumani called on the Tamil Nadu government to release the pending wages immediately and enable the workers to celebrate Deepavali without hardship. The report did not state whether the government or the Corporation had ordered a payment review, announced a release schedule or initiated action against any contractor.
The claims require confirmation from the Greater Chennai Corporation and the Tamil Nadu government, along with information from the workers or their representatives and relevant payment records. Until such confirmation is available, the reported figures and duration of the alleged salary delays remain attributed claims rather than independently established facts.
