Chennai: Jactto-Geo threatens to go on strike from December 4

Chennai: Chief Minister Edappadi K. Palaniswami has appealed to members of the Joint Action Council of Tamil Nadu Teachers’ Organisations and Government Employees Organisations (Jactto-Geo) — the federation of state government employees with over 80 per cent staff — to drop their stir as it would hamper relief works in cyclone Gaja-hit districts, even as the members expressed their resolve to go ahead with the indefinite strike from December 4.

A day after the talks with the state government ended in impasse, the Chief Minister said, “I appeal to the government employees not to go on strike, but continue to work for the people and extend full cooperation to expeditiously complete relief work without any slackness.” He also assured to consider their demands which have scope to be met with, would be fulfilled.

The Jactto-Geo is a 11-lakh member strong confederation of 165 government employee associations across Tamil Nadu, which has been staging several protests to press its demands for quite some time now.

 The Jactto-Geo has called for the strike to press their seven-point charter of demands that includes reverting back to the old pension scheme by covering all those who joined the service after April 1, 2003, after scrapping the present contributory pension scheme. Their other demands included rectification of pay anomalies, doing away with the special time scale and contract pay scales, provision of 21-months pending salary difference and dropping the move to close down 5,000 government schools.

 Talking to reporters after a high-level meeting, Jactto-Geo coordinator Mayavan said since there was no assurance from the government for their demands during the talks on Friday, they have decided to proceed with the proposed indefinite strike from December 4.

The joint body of teachers and government employees organisations on Saturday rejected the Chief Minister’s appeal to refrain from going on strike and said they would reconsider it only if there was a firm commitment to fulfill their demands.

 During the talks, the government had pointed out that a state appointed one-man committee, headed by retired IAS officer T.S. Sreedhar to look into the scope for implementing the OPS, had submitted its report "only now" and it was being considered, Mr Palaniswami said.

 Bringing the pay of state secondary grade teachers on par with their Central government counterparts and regularisation of the services of teachers, government employees and other grades of staffers appointed on consolidated pay between 2003 and 2004 forms part of the seven-point charter of demands.

 "'If the Chief Minister agrees to hold talks with our representatives and give an assurance to consider our demands, the main demand being reverting back to the old pension scheme, then we will consider withdrawing the strike," Mayavan said and added that the government gave a patient hearing but "the Ministers could only say that our demands will be taken to the notice of the Chief Minister. The government did not give us any assurance."