COIMBATORE: Around 50 sanitary and conservancy workers from nine village panchayats petitioned the Coimbatore district collector on Monday stating that the panchayats were not following the minimum wage prescribed by the Tamil Nadu government.They said that their salary of Rs 2,300 a month was a small fraction of the minimum wage. They couldn’t meet their family expenses with their meagre salary, they said.They threatened to go on a hunger strike if their salaries are not revised by August 14.The workers, who came from village panchayats like Kurudampalayam, 24 Veerapandi and Chinna Thadagam, said say their salaries had not been revised after the government order was issued.“GO 62 under the Minimum Wages Act of 1948 issued in October last year clearly states that the salary for unskilled labour is Rs 13,000 per month or Rs 500 a day,” said A Babu, who has been working as a sweeper in Kurudampalayam panchayat for two decades.“But our salary is Rs 2,300 a month or less than Rs 100 a day. It is less than one fifth the government fixed minimum wage,” he said.“The Coimbatore corporation has revised salaries of its employees. But our salaries haven’t been revised for more than a decade. We face the same inflation problems,” he added.“Even when corporation workers started demanding Rs 300 a day or close to Rs 9,000 a month, our salaries were not revised,” said K Varadharaj a waterman in 24 Veerapandi village.“We wake up at 4.45am to turn up to work by 6am. We return home at 11am, only to return to work 4pm and work till 8 pm,” he added.“We work the same hours and do the same work as corporation workers. Then why the disparity in treatment,” he asked.Workers said their salaries were not adequate for them to afford housing, rentals and education for their children.

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