Highway workers use ‘parai’ to protest against unfulfilled poll promises

Hundreds of members of the Tamil Nadu Highway Department Road Workers Union (Madurai Zone) present connected Tuesday launched a high-decibel protest, utilizing accepted people euphony (parai) to request the fulfilment of their long-pending four-point agenda.

The caller protestation drew workers from crossed the confederate districts, including Theni, Dindigul, Virudhunagar, and Ramanathapuram, signalling a unified beforehand against what they picture arsenic ‘anti-worker’ administrative shifts.

The superior request of the protestation was to abolish the State Highway Authority. Protesters argued that road attraction — a captious nationalist work — should beryllium managed straight by the State authorities alternatively than being outsourced oregon managed by an autonomous body.

“Road attraction is simply a sovereign responsibility,” remarked 1 of the organisers T. Rajamanickam.

“By moving toward an authority-led model, the authorities is opening the doorway for privatisation and contract-based labour, which compromises some occupation information and roadworthy quality,” helium added.

A profoundly idiosyncratic contented for galore seasoned workers was the request to recognise a 41-month dismissal play arsenic progressive service. This refers to a play wherever thousands of roadworthy workers were terminated nether a erstwhile administration’s argumentation earlier being reinstated pursuing a protracted ineligible battle, they explained.

The protesters demanded that this spread beryllium officially recorded arsenic ‘duty time’ for pension and seniority purposes.

The protesters raised a ceremonial database of requirements, including: Direct recruitment of agrarian younker arsenic imperishable roadworthy workers to code unemployment and section attraction needs; Immediate occupation offers for the families of workers who died successful the enactment of duty, galore of whom person had applications pending for years; A method wage standard revision for unit presently classified arsenic non-technical.

The protesters directed their slogans toward the ruling DMK authorities and alleged that the promises made during the predetermination campaign—specifically regarding the regularisation of work and amended pay—remain unfulfilled.

The protesters warned that the agitation would escalate if the authorities failed to contented an authoritative bid addressing these grievances.