Sanitary workers of a private agency engaged by the Tiruchi City Corporation for solid waste management have sought payment of their Deepavali bonus, alleging that they have not received the amount for the past three years.The workers submitted a petition to the Corporation Commissioner on Tuesday, demanding that the bonus be paid along with the October salary without further delay.Maran, district secretary of the CITU-affiliated sanitary workers’ union, said around 2,200 workers, including sanitation workers, cleaning staff at Corporation schools and drivers, had been employed on a contract basis for more than three years through SR Vedhaah, the private agency engaged for waste management in the city.He said that the workers were not being paid the daily wage of ₹772 fixed by the district administration, and had not received the statutory bonus of 8.33% of their wages during the past three years.Similarly, a private agency, which employs 220 overhead tank (OHT) operators for the Corporation, had agreed to pay a bonus of ₹7,000 to its workers but had yet to disburse the amount.Following a petition submitted by the workers, a bonus of ₹2,000 each was paid to around 2,000 workers on Friday. However, cleaning staff employed at Corporation schools were excluded from the payment.“We have submitted another petition to the authorities, urging them to intervene and ensure that the pending bonus payments are made,” Mr.
Maran said. Published - November 06, 2026 07:51 pm IST