By Pujanee Galappaththi and Dinithi Gunasekera
In the midst of a pandemic, and the anxiety the general public is experiencing as a result, there is a tendency to neglect the issues faced by certain factions of society – keeping them out of sight and out of mind. Among these vastly neglected groups who toil day and night are street cleaners and garbage collectors.
Speaking to a representative from the Deputy Commissioner’s Office of the Colombo Municipal Council (CMC), who wished to remain anonymous, The Sunday Morning found out that street sweepers and garbage collectors in the Western Province were required to work during the periodic quarantine curfews that were imposed, due to the essential nature of their work.
These workers were provided with safety kits including masks, gloves, safety robes, and disinfectant by the CMC to equip them to do so safely.
“We provide immunity-boosting drinks and other Ayurvedic products for our workers to maintain their health at optimal levels. During the curfew, we provided them with meals and safe accommodation as well. Furthermore, we conducted PCR tests on our workers whenever necessary and depending on the results, we have taken the necessary steps to treat them, and safeguard their co-workers and families. If quarantining is required, due to a family member testing positive for Covid-19, we take steps to provide each of these families with a grocery packet worth Rs. 5,000.”
All attempts to contact CMC Chief Medical Officer of Health (MOH) Dr. R.L. De S. Wijayamuni, to get further insight into the health procedures put in place for CMC workers, proved futile.
When asked about the safety of garbage collectors when handling different kinds of garbage disposed all around the Colombo District, the CMC told us that in the case of garbage disposal, in order to ensure the safety of everyone involved in the process, they ensure the separate and safe disposal of possibly infectious waste. We were further told that the Western Province Waste Management Authority had issued guidelines to all garbage collectors on the process by which this needs to be handled, in line with the health guidelines of the Ministry of Health.
Speaking to The Sunday Morning, Abans Chief Operations Manager M.P.J. Senevirathne confirmed that: “Steps were taken through the company to maintain optimum safety for the street cleaners subcontracted under the CMC. In addition to gloves and masks, they are provided with face shields.”
Western Province Waste Management Authority Director Nalin Mannapperuma, speaking further on the matter, told us that special guidelines have been circulated through leaflets and audio and video presentations on how garbage should be safely handled during the pandemic.
He further said: “There are 6,000 sanitary workers in the Western Province involved in garbage collection, segregation, and transportation. The Waste Management Authority has a special programme to improve their capacity, by the name of ‘Parisara Mithuro’, through which we do annual medical check-ups on each of these workers and make sure they are fit and ready to work. 
“During the first outbreak of the pandemic, we provided them PPE (personal protective equipment) worth Rs. 3 million, which included disinfectant, gloves, and facemasks, with clear guidelines on how to use them.
“During the second wave, we received PPE worth Rs. 8 million from the Japanese International Co-operation Agency (JICA), which was distributed amongst workers in the Western Province, and we are expecting more PPE worth Rs. 4 million from JICA in the near future.”
All attempts to contact the relevant authorities in the Kalutara and Gampaha municipalities, and Ja-Ela Provincial Council member Saman Palitha for comment proved unsuccessful.
However, the residents of Ja-Ela had much to say.
“It took weeks upon weeks for the Provincial Council to visit our area for garbage collection. In fact, I had to contact one authority after another. Our area had been under curfew since day one of the second wave of Covid.
“When the garbage collectors finally arrived after inquiring numerous times if our area had residents who had tested positive or who were in quarantine, they wore masks and gloves, but other than that, nothing outstanding,” expressed a resident of Ja-Ela, Gampaha District, Dr. Shiromi Muthukudaarachchi.
Visible but invisible
The paper titled “Orange is for oppression: a day in the life of a Colombo street cleaner” (2015) by Dr. Vagisha Gunasekara, a political economist and senior lecturer of politics and international relations at the Open University of Sri Lanka (OUSL), outlines research done based on analyses of the lives of street cleaners in drastically distorted post-war Sri Lanka.
Her research largely involves street cleaners she had befriended over time. Speaking to The Sunday Morning, Dr. Gunasekara shared that there are several types of street cleaners: the Municipal Council street cleaners who are government employees deployed through a bureaucratic process with ensured Employees’ Provident Fund (EPF) and Employees’ Trust Fund (ETF) benefits, workers at private companies such as Abans and CareKleen that supply street cleaning services under which the relevant municipality is subcontracted, and workers under other separate manpower companies that hire daily-wage labourers.
“Those under private companies are more common, as they are cheaper and can be dispatched upon request unlike in formal employment which enables the involvement of a union, which upholds accountability for the labour that is hired.”
Dr. Gunasekara further explained that within the last 25 years, there had been a general decrease in formal employment worldwide and increased contract labour. However, although the municipality is subcontracted under private companies such as Abans, the municipality is by default not responsible for payments to employees.
“At the time I was doing this study, one private company’s workers were not given EPF and ETF and were paid only Rs. 550 per day, which consisted of 12-hour shifts. Currently, it is expected to have increased, but probably not by a sizable amount. The interest of private companies is not to pay employees high wages, but rather profit generation.
“Street cleaners are constantly marginalised from society. It’s a real paradox, as they are extremely visible yet invisible,” stated Dr. Gunasekara.
From their lips
A CMC sanitary worker in the Kotte area, Lionel K., shared that there are new regulations to collect garbage now, because of Covid-19.
“We are given sanitiser and gloves as well. The authorities have briefed us on how to handle garbage and transport it. Garbage from quarantine houses is separated and burnt. Some of our colleagues from the Kotahena and Keselwatta areas, which had the majority of the Covid-19-positive cases, were made to take PCR tests and some of them and their families were placed in quarantine. We worked during the curfew as well, and during these days, we were given food by the Municipal Council.”
Another CMC sanitary worker Sinnaiya, also from the Kotte region, shared: “We work during the pandemic; during the curfew, there is no difference. We are given masks and gloves every day and we are required to request for sanitiser if we are running out. According to the new guidelines we were provided, we have to collect the garbage from quarantine centres in yellow garbage bags which were also provided to us, and we have to disinfect it as well before destroying it. The Municipal Council provides us with drinks and meals during curfew times, and provides a Rs. 5,000 economy pack monthly to some families who are placed in quarantine.”
Plethora of hardships
Dr. Gunasekara noted that the average street cleaner is predominantly elderly, at least 50% are above the age of 60. Many of them are reportedly from outstation and are victims of multigenerational structural poverty.
Meanwhile, some have children who are unable or unwilling to attend to them. “A lot of street cleaners I have met have children who are suffering from substance abuse and addiction and these elderly step up to support the family with a steady flow of income. All this money would at times be given towards the wellbeing of their grandchildren.
“Some are homeless and the demographics are of people of all ethnicities and religious beliefs with no noticeable distinction – what was common is their poverty-stricken background. They are at the very bottom strata of the socioeconomic ladder – which results in a vicious cycle. Usually, there is no escape, unless in a rare case of exceptional ambitiousness,” noted Dr. Gunasekara.
These elderly individuals are physically deteriorated and they lack sufficient vitality to land a position in the job market for a better source of income and so settle for street cleaning. Equal weightage is not given to labour in Sri Lanka due to its capitalistic views, contrary to the “socialist” label on Sri Lanka, added the expert.
“In regular desk jobs, we have roofs above our heads, but street cleaners are out in the open, exposed to all elements,” she expressed.
“I noticed, when I was shadowing them for long hours for my research, that there is nothing that separates them from the larger world. As the Italian philosopher Giorgio Agamben would call it, it’s ‘a bare life’. Insignificant things such as finding a toilet or a place to have your lunch are issues they face on the daily.
“A homeless street cleaning woman I know told me that being taken to a quarantine centre with three meals a day and a bed to sleep in does not sound like a terrible idea. That is the level of destitution some of these individuals are facing. Even a quarantine centre is a luxury to them.”
Cause for concern
“Recently, as I was passing through Wijerama, I saw a group of street cleaners seated at a concrete corner having their lunch. For them, the concrete is their table,” related Dr. Gunasekara.
She added that although she commends the employment of the elderly, it is concerning that the type of labour they do and the corresponding wages do not allow them to take care of themselves sufficiently. The fundamental concerns are their health and nutrition.
The most affordable food that is available anywhere are carbohydrates and sugars. By default, the nutrition of individuals in these socioeconomic strata is very poor and therefore, they are more prone to diseases. Diabetes in particular can be predicted to be quite prevalent among them, suggested Dr. Gunasekara. Studies are yet to be done on the nutrition and health factors affecting these street cleaners.
They are at very high risk of contracting Covid due to the nature of their work and even more so because they are ageing. Even during curfew, they are out and about duly engaging in their tasks. Additionally, they are dealing with garbage which is highly concentrated with germs. Most of the time, the contents of this waste are unknown and with much more waste being disposed of in bulk such as medical waste, the risk is doubled.
“One woman I spoke to recently told me that she had found syringes, used plasters, and bandages in the waste, disposed of by satellite clinics with absolutely no regulation, that are operated privately. These people are unaware of what they are in contact with. However, they are provided with protective gloves and rubber boots by the municipalities. Some time back, I have personally scolded some street cleaners I’m acquainted with, advising them to aptly wear the provided protective gear. In response, they used to tell me ruefully in Sinhalese to try and stand on the tarred roads for an hour or so under the scorching sun with it all on.”
Dr. Gunasekara noted that these individuals are granting a very important service amidst the pandemic situation, assisting to manage and contain day-to-day life, working at the frontlines.
Volunteerism and community co-operation
In an exchange with renowned volunteer group The Robin Hood Army, we were informed that due to the limitations imposed to control Covid, widespread public distribution of meals is temporarily limited. A notable contributor to this is the limited functionality of eateries in general, from which the team collects food to be distributed to the needy.
“It is easy to put the total burden on the Government but communities need to be more open-minded and help each other out in this pandemic situation,” remarked Dr. Gunasekara.
Civil societies and charities and neighbouring communities can play a vital role in assisting the less privileged by stepping up and engaging in the simplest mechanisms, like the distribution of day-to-day medicinal supplements like koththamalli, vitamin C tablets, and even additional meals to boost their immunity.
We tried to reach out to the Ministry of Health and the Government Spokesman about the measures taken by the Government to ensure the health and safety of these individuals, but were unsuccessful.
“I have great respect for these individuals who choose to work when they can easily consider themselves invalid and resort to vagrancy. It is a choice they have made despite their age, health condition, and the harshness of what they are required to do. Above all, they are braving it all out amidst a pandemic,” concluded Dr. Gunasekara.
“We provide immunity-boosting drinks and other Ayurvedic products for our workers to maintain their health at optimal levels. During the curfew, we provided them with meals and safe accommodation as well. Furthermore, we conducted PCR tests on our workers whenever necessary and depending on the results, we have taken the necessary steps to treat them, and safeguard their co-workers and families. If quarantining is required, due to a family member testing positive for Covid-19, we take steps to provide each of these families with a grocery packet worth Rs. 5,000.”
All attempts to contact CMC Chief Medical Officer of Health (MOH) Dr. R.L. De S. Wijayamuni, to get further insight into the health procedures put in place for CMC workers, proved futile.
When asked about the safety of garbage collectors when handling different kinds of garbage disposed all around the Colombo District, the CMC told us that in the case of garbage disposal, in order to ensure the safety of everyone involved in the process, they ensure the separate and safe disposal of possibly infectious waste. We were further told that the Western Province Waste Management Authority had issued guidelines to all garbage collectors on the process by which this needs to be handled, in line with the health guidelines of the Ministry of Health.
Speaking to The Sunday Morning, Abans Chief Operations Manager M.P.J. Senevirathne confirmed that: “Steps were taken through the company to maintain optimum safety for the street cleaners subcontracted under the CMC. In addition to gloves and masks, they are provided with face shields.”
Western Province Waste Management Authority Director Nalin Mannapperuma, speaking further on the matter, told us that special guidelines have been circulated through leaflets and audio and video presentations on how garbage should be safely handled during the pandemic.
He further said: “There are 6,000 sanitary workers in the Western Province involved in garbage collection, segregation, and transportation. The Waste Management Authority has a special programme to improve their capacity, by the name of ‘Parisara Mithuro’, through which we do annual medical check-ups on each of these workers and make sure they are fit and ready to work.
“During the first outbreak of the pandemic, we provided them PPE (personal protective equipment) worth Rs. 3 million, which included disinfectant, gloves, and facemasks, with clear guidelines on how to use them.
“During the second wave, we received PPE worth Rs. 8 million from the Japanese International Co-operation Agency (JICA), which was distributed amongst workers in the Western Province, and we are expecting more PPE worth Rs. 4 million from JICA in the near future.”
All attempts to contact the relevant authorities in the Kalutara and Gampaha municipalities, and Ja-Ela Provincial Council member Saman Palitha for comment proved unsuccessful.
However, the residents of Ja-Ela had much to say.
“It took weeks upon weeks for the Provincial Council to visit our area for garbage collection. In fact, I had to contact one authority after another. Our area had been under curfew since day one of the second wave of Covid.
“When the garbage collectors finally arrived after inquiring numerous times if our area had residents who had tested positive or who were in quarantine, they wore masks and gloves, but other than that, nothing outstanding,” expressed a resident of Ja-Ela, Gampaha District, Dr. Shiromi Muthukudaarachchi.
Visible but invisible
The paper titled “Orange is for oppression: a day in the life of a Colombo street cleaner” (2015) by Dr. Vagisha Gunasekara, a political economist and senior lecturer of politics and international relations at the Open University of Sri Lanka (OUSL), outlines research done based on analyses of the lives of street cleaners in drastically distorted post-war Sri Lanka.
Her research largely involves street cleaners she had befriended over time. Speaking to The Sunday Morning, Dr. Gunasekara shared that there are several types of street cleaners: the Municipal Council street cleaners who are government employees deployed through a bureaucratic process with ensured Employees’ Provident Fund (EPF) and Employees’ Trust Fund (ETF) benefits, workers at private companies such as Abans and CareKleen that supply street cleaning services under which the relevant municipality is subcontracted, and workers under other separate manpower companies that hire daily-wage labourers.
“Those under private companies are more common, as they are cheaper and can be dispatched upon request unlike in formal employment which enables the involvement of a union, which upholds accountability for the labour that is hired.”
Dr. Gunasekara further explained that within the last 25 years, there had been a general decrease in formal employment worldwide and increased contract labour. However, although the municipality is subcontracted under private companies such as Abans, the municipality is by default not responsible for payments to employees.
“At the time I was doing this study, one private company’s workers were not given EPF and ETF and were paid only Rs. 550 per day, which consisted of 12-hour shifts. Currently, it is expected to have increased, but probably not by a sizable amount. The interest of private companies is not to pay employees high wages, but rather profit generation.
“Street cleaners are constantly marginalised from society. It’s a real paradox, as they are extremely visible yet invisible,” stated Dr. Gunasekara.
From their lips
A CMC sanitary worker in the Kotte area, Lionel K., shared that there are new regulations to collect garbage now, because of Covid-19.
“We are given sanitiser and gloves as well. The authorities have briefed us on how to handle garbage and transport it. Garbage from quarantine houses is separated and burnt. Some of our colleagues from the Kotahena and Keselwatta areas, which had the majority of the Covid-19-positive cases, were made to take PCR tests and some of them and their families were placed in quarantine. We worked during the curfew as well, and during these days, we were given food by the Municipal Council.”
Another CMC sanitary worker Sinnaiya, also from the Kotte region, shared: “We work during the pandemic; during the curfew, there is no difference. We are given masks and gloves every day and we are required to request for sanitiser if we are running out. According to the new guidelines we were provided, we have to collect the garbage from quarantine centres in yellow garbage bags which were also provided to us, and we have to disinfect it as well before destroying it. The Municipal Council provides us with drinks and meals during curfew times, and provides a Rs. 5,000 economy pack monthly to some families who are placed in quarantine.”
Plethora of hardships
Dr. Gunasekara noted that the average street cleaner is predominantly elderly, at least 50% are above the age of 60. Many of them are reportedly from outstation and are victims of multigenerational structural poverty.
Meanwhile, some have children who are unable or unwilling to attend to them. “A lot of street cleaners I have met have children who are suffering from substance abuse and addiction and these elderly step up to support the family with a steady flow of income. All this money would at times be given towards the wellbeing of their grandchildren.
“Some are homeless and the demographics are of people of all ethnicities and religious beliefs with no noticeable distinction – what was common is their poverty-stricken background. They are at the very bottom strata of the socioeconomic ladder – which results in a vicious cycle. Usually, there is no escape, unless in a rare case of exceptional ambitiousness,” noted Dr. Gunasekara.
These elderly individuals are physically deteriorated and they lack sufficient vitality to land a position in the job market for a better source of income and so settle for street cleaning. Equal weightage is not given to labour in Sri Lanka due to its capitalistic views, contrary to the “socialist” label on Sri Lanka, added the expert.
“In regular desk jobs, we have roofs above our heads, but street cleaners are out in the open, exposed to all elements,” she expressed.
“I noticed, when I was shadowing them for long hours for my research, that there is nothing that separates them from the larger world. As the Italian philosopher Giorgio Agamben would call it, it’s ‘a bare life’. Insignificant things such as finding a toilet or a place to have your lunch are issues they face on the daily.
“A homeless street cleaning woman I know told me that being taken to a quarantine centre with three meals a day and a bed to sleep in does not sound like a terrible idea. That is the level of destitution some of these individuals are facing. Even a quarantine centre is a luxury to them.”
Cause for concern
“Recently, as I was passing through Wijerama, I saw a group of street cleaners seated at a concrete corner having their lunch. For them, the concrete is their table,” related Dr. Gunasekara.
She added that although she commends the employment of the elderly, it is concerning that the type of labour they do and the corresponding wages do not allow them to take care of themselves sufficiently. The fundamental concerns are their health and nutrition.
The most affordable food that is available anywhere are carbohydrates and sugars. By default, the nutrition of individuals in these socioeconomic strata is very poor and therefore, they are more prone to diseases. Diabetes in particular can be predicted to be quite prevalent among them, suggested Dr. Gunasekara. Studies are yet to be done on the nutrition and health factors affecting these street cleaners.
They are at very high risk of contracting Covid due to the nature of their work and even more so because they are ageing. Even during curfew, they are out and about duly engaging in their tasks. Additionally, they are dealing with garbage which is highly concentrated with germs. Most of the time, the contents of this waste are unknown and with much more waste being disposed of in bulk such as medical waste, the risk is doubled.
“One woman I spoke to recently told me that she had found syringes, used plasters, and bandages in the waste, disposed of by satellite clinics with absolutely no regulation, that are operated privately. These people are unaware of what they are in contact with. However, they are provided with protective gloves and rubber boots by the municipalities. Some time back, I have personally scolded some street cleaners I’m acquainted with, advising them to aptly wear the provided protective gear. In response, they used to tell me ruefully in Sinhalese to try and stand on the tarred roads for an hour or so under the scorching sun with it all on.”
Dr. Gunasekara noted that these individuals are granting a very important service amidst the pandemic situation, assisting to manage and contain day-to-day life, working at the frontlines.
Volunteerism and community co-operation
In an exchange with renowned volunteer group The Robin Hood Army, we were informed that due to the limitations imposed to control Covid, widespread public distribution of meals is temporarily limited. A notable contributor to this is the limited functionality of eateries in general, from which the team collects food to be distributed to the needy.
“It is easy to put the total burden on the Government but communities need to be more open-minded and help each other out in this pandemic situation,” remarked Dr. Gunasekara.
Civil societies and charities and neighbouring communities can play a vital role in assisting the less privileged by stepping up and engaging in the simplest mechanisms, like the distribution of day-to-day medicinal supplements like koththamalli, vitamin C tablets, and even additional meals to boost their immunity.
We tried to reach out to the Ministry of Health and the Government Spokesman about the measures taken by the Government to ensure the health and safety of these individuals, but were unsuccessful.
“I have great respect for these individuals who choose to work when they can easily consider themselves invalid and resort to vagrancy. It is a choice they have made despite their age, health condition, and the harshness of what they are required to do. Above all, they are braving it all out amidst a pandemic,” concluded Dr. Gunasekara.