Contract workers employed by the Coimbatore City Municipal Corporation have protested after alleging that their salaries remain unpaid ahead of Diwali, leaving sanitation and mosquito-control workers struggling to meet household expenses. The workers have demanded the immediate release of their pending wages from the civic administration.
The affected workers include domestic breeding check, or DBC, malaria workers, sewage-cleaning staff and RR special workers. According to a petition submitted to corporation commissioner Katta Ravi Teja, the delay has caused financial hardship for workers and their families during the festival period.
R Tamil Nadu Selvam, general secretary of the workers’ union, said nearly 90% of the workers depended entirely on their monthly wages. He alleged that some employees had been forced to pledge their bank passbooks with private moneylenders to meet immediate expenses while waiting for their salaries.
“Many were struggling to buy new clothes for their children and meet other essential expenses ahead of the festival. It’s not just about festival but their livelihood because they are entirely dependent on their salaries. This is deeply distressing,” Selvam said in the petition and related appeal for intervention.
Several workers were reportedly waiting at ward offices in the hope of receiving their wages before Diwali. The reported delay affects employees engaged in routine civic functions, including sewage cleaning and mosquito-control work, although the report does not specify the total number of workers affected, the amount pending or the reason for the delay.
The workers held a protest on Saturday against the alleged non-payment and urged the corporation administration to release the salaries immediately. The union has asked commissioner Katta Ravi Teja to intervene and ensure that the pending wages are disbursed. The report does not include a response from the corporation administration or a confirmed timeline for payment.
