Transport employees' strike: Govt will release arrears before Pongal, says TN CM

Chennai: In a bid to mollify striking transport employees, Chief Minister Edappadi K. Palaniswami on Wednesday told the Assembly that the government would release arrears towards retirement benefits to the tune of Rs 750 crore before Pongal festival and renewed his appeal to them to return to work.  Making a statement under rule 110, Palaniswami said his government has been providing financial assistance to the transport department to keep it afloat.

Senior counsel Prakash said advocate general is trying to create an impression that he will give an undertaking that the 2.44 percent wage hike will be implemented as if the government was magnanimous when major trade unions did not participate in the negotiations.

Advocate general said 23 sittings were held and in all the sittings, all the trade unions participated, but the CITU and LPF did not sign and they walked out. Now, the settlement was over. If they did not agree with the settlement, they can adjudicate the matter. The government was ready to adjudicate it. He can prove by records the unions, which have signed the settlement has a strength of 70 percent of the total workers, he added.

The bench posted a pointed question as to whether the trade unions want the dispute to continue, or want to serve the public in view of the Pongal festival. “Resume the work tomorrow. Other disputes can be decided on January 17”, the bench added.

Senior counsel Prakash said no organisation shall function without self-respect. Now the AG claims the majority of the trade union signed the settlement. By obtaining signatures from 34 smaller unions and without holding negotiations with major unions, the government claims that the settlement has been arrived at. Therefore, the workers were agitated and as a last resort, they indulged in a strike.

The law does not say they should not strike. The strike will always cause inconvenience. It was not the intention of the workers to cause inconvenience. But for compulsion, they resorted to strike, he added.

The bench said it was clear from the union leaders, who were present in the court and giving instructions to their counsels that unless the government come forward and decide the issue, they will not withdraw the strike. A larger public interest should be taken into account. Everybody should not be affected, including the workers. At least for five days during Pongal, they could ply the buses. The issues relating to negotiations and settlements could be decided on January 17. “We are making this suggestion in the larger interest of the public. Till Pongal festival public should not suffer. We leave it to your conscience”, the bench added.

Senior counsel Prakash and advocate Prasad said they will inform the decision on the suggestion to the court Thursday.