Book on issues faced by conservancy workers, legal remedies released

'Arivom Anithiralvom Urimaigalai Velvom' book released at IDEAS Centre addresses issues faced by conservancy workers in rural areas.

A book titled ‘Arivom Anithiralvom Urimaigalai Velvom’ on the various issues faced by the conservancy workers, particularly those in the rural areas, and the legal remedies available was released on Tuesday at the IDEAS Centre.

The author of the book, advocate A. Sahaya Philomin Raj of the Madurai Legal Awareness Coordination Committee (M-LACC) said that the book focused on the various issues and problems faced by the conservancy workers, particularly those in the rural areas. The book discussed the issues of the minimum wages, equal pay for equal work, medical assistance, medical insurance and other important topics.

Assistant Professor C. Muniyandi of Department of Econometrics, Madurai Kamaraj University released the book and the first copy was received by the office-bearers of Tamil Nadu Thuppuravu Tholilalar Urimai Sangam.

Mr. Philomin Raj said that the book was a guide for the conservancy workers as it discussed the relevant Acts and Rules and the legal remedies available. The workers at the village panchayat level were ill treated and taken for granted. They were not paid properly as per the rules. Minimum wages were not paid to them and they did not receive their wages on time.

The conservancy workers were not treated as government employees. They were not on the payroll. As a result, they did not avail themselves of any benefits. They were working round the clock and the working hours were not followed. They cannot even avail their leave which they were entitled to and if they did take their leave it resulted in a pay cut, he said.

Sometimes, they were just removed from work. They were asked to leave and stop coming to work. There was no job security. The book also discusses the various government orders implemented in favour of the workers. The main objective of the book was to create awareness among the workers and officials about the rights of the workers, he said.

M-LACC is entering its 10th year. The research and the experience gained in the last nine years have gone into the book. The book was launched to uphold social justice, he said. A free copy of the book was given to the conservancy workers who had come from Madurai and the neighbouring districts to attend the event.