After K Palaniswami's Appeal, Employees End Strike To Resume Classes

Tamil Nadu government teachers and employees on Wednesday called off their nine-day old indefinite strike and urged Chief Minister K Palaniswami to address their demands which includes reversion to the old pension scheme.

A day after the Chief Minister appealed them to resume work in public interest, the Joint Action Council of Tamil Nadu Teachers' Organisation Government Employees Organisations coordinator Vincent Paulraj announced that the strike had been called off "temporarily." 

"The Chief Minsiter should invite us for talks and look at the fairness of our demands and address them," he told reporters.

He said the decision was taken toeing the Madras High Court's guidance, in the interests of students, considering the sentiments of parents and the Chief Minister's appeal.

Justice N Kirubakaran of the Madras High Court had on Monday appealed to government school teachers to suspend their strike and a division bench was also seized of a matter related to their demands and strike.

The JACTTO-GEO official appealed to the government to give up action against its members for participating in the strike and sought withdrawal of cases filed by the police.

A lot of employees were arrested across the state in connection with the stir and many of them got bail.

Scrapping of the contributory pension scheme and reverting to the old pension plan, payment of arrears and addressing anomalies in pay are among their key demands.

Even hours before the stir was called off, protest demonstrations were staged by government employees in multiple locations including at Chepauk and Teynampet.

DMK president MK Stalin condemned the government for not holding talks with the employees and assured that as and when his party assumed power all their just demands will be fulfilled.

In his appeal, Mr Palaniswami had cited factors like drought, drinking water scarcity and the adverse effects of cyclone Gaja that struck Tamil Nadu in November and asked the government employees to do their duty to the people rather than being "self-centric".