Samayalar Sangam Join Together To Get Their Demands
All is not well with the one lakh-odd `cooks spread across the state whose living conditions leave much to be desired. Having cooked up a career in culinary art, they are pulling strings from all sides to get their voice heard. Of the 100-plus associations in Tamil Nadu, only half a dozen seems to be active in knocking the doors of the government in getting their legitimate demands fulfilled.Speaking to the reporters, Samayalar Sangam (Culinary Workers Association) president T N Saminathan, known as Topaz Iyer in culinary workers circle, said that he had to fight a lone battle for several years, writing to both the Centre and the State seeking to bring them under the unorganised sector category. At last, the state government came out with an order, dated August 27, 1997, declaring them as unorganised sector under miscellaneous trade category. However, things remained the same for them.
Referring to government stipulated norms of minimum 25,000 members for forming a welfare board, he said that their dream is yet to materialise since there were only 7,000 members. This is because of lack of awareness and interest among the culinary workers to foem themselves into an association, Iyer said. Difference of opinion and ego problem had split and separated the associations. Now associations are divided. Two of the major associations in Chennai seldom take up the cause of the culinary workers, he added.
He wondered how the government could bend its rules to start a welfare board for palm workers who had a membership of less than 10,000. There is no caste, creed or colour among culinary workers. However, the flip side is that none of their associations have political patronage. Maybe if they had some political lineage, their work would have become easier, he said.
Meanwhile, K Mohan, general secretary of the state-wide association for culinary workers, said that they have a charter of demands which included oldage pension, financial assistance for their wards, education expenses, solatium on death and housing facility. No political party is interested in the welfare of the culinary workers, he charged. Coimbatore District Samayal Kalaingargal Munnetra Sangam secretary A Ganesan said that they are making all-out efforts to bring more number of culinary workers under the association banner.
