Opposing the Tamil Nadu government’s move to privatise solid waste management activities in municipal corporations, more than 1,200 conservancy workers of the Erode Corporation boycotted work and staged a protest on the civic body premises here on Monday (June 22, 2026).

The Tamil Nadu Urban Infrastructure Financial Services Limited (TNUIFSL) has invited tenders to appoint consultancy firms to prepare Detailed Feasibility Reports (DFRs) and provide transaction advisory services for the collection and transportation of municipal solid waste under the Public-Private Partnership (PPP) model in 12 corporations across the State.

The move was strongly opposed by the workers, who demanded the immediate withdrawal of any government order related to privatisation. Nearly 1,200 workers participated in the strike on the first day, according to the protesters. The workers expressed concern that privatisation could lead to a substantial reduction in their wages. At present, sanitation workers receive a daily wage of ₹760, while drivers are paid ₹792 a day. They alleged that the involvement of private contractors and intermediaries could reduce their take-home earnings to around ₹400 a day.

Stating that many employees had depended on these jobs for more than a decade, the workers said privatisation would adversely affect their livelihoods. They warned that the strike and subsequent protests would continue until their demands were addressed.

The strike disrupted routine solid waste collection services in several parts of the city, resulting in the accumulation of garbage and causing inconvenience to residents. The city, spread over 108 sq. km, has a population of 6.45 lakh across four zones. The Corporation has 1,69,913 households and 27,386 commercial establishments, which together generate about 200 metric tonnes of municipal solid waste every day.