Chennai: A day after the Chief Minister K Palaniswami appealed to the protesting Tamilnadu government teachers and employees to resume work, Joint Action Council of Tamil Nadu Teachers’ Organisation and Government Employees Organisations called off their strike on Wednesday.
After calling of their 9-day strike temporarily, the unions urged Chief Minister K Palaniswami to address their demands: The association has a 9-point charter of demands in which it urged the government to repeal the new pension scheme and revert to the old one, settle a 21-month arrears according to the new pay commissions guidelines, settle pay anomalies for secondary teachers and regularise the jobs of part-time staff and teachers working in anganwadis.
Speaking to reporters, JACTO-GEO coordinator Vincent Paulraj said they called of the strike in the interests of students and due to the Chief Minister’s and the High Court’s appeal. He urged the Chief Minister to hold talks with them and look at the fairness of their demands and address them. Paulraj also appealed to the government to give up action taken against many of the members for participating in the strike.
Government staff numbering in lakhs had started their indefinite strike 22 January. The government had already arrested protestors across the State apart from suspending many.
Demonstrations were staged by government employees in many locations in Chennai, hours before the stir was called off.
Slamming the AIADMK government, DMK president M K Stalin assured that if his party assumed power all their demands will be fulfilled.