Return to work or face action: Govt
Rejects All Demands Of Protesters
Julie.Mariappan@timesgroup.com
Chennai:27.01.2019
Rejecting outright the demands of the striking government employees and teachers, the state government on Saturday asked them to return to work or face disciplinary action.
The Joint Action Council of Tamil Nadu Teachers’ Organizations and Government Employees’ Organizations (Jactto-Geo), the supreme body of government staff, however, vowed to continue with the indefinite strike. The high court also had asked the employees to resume work.
The government has already started cracking down. Those who were remanded or let out on bail in the last two days – official estimate says 450 people - have been suspended and more would follow in the coming days, government sources said. While slogan shouting is taken lightly, road roko invokes trouble. The department heads have shot off letters directing district collectors to act. Chief minister Edappadi K Palaniswami held a high-level meeting of ministers and bureaucrats earlier in the day and took stock of the situation.
Soon after, personnel and administrative reforms minister, D Jayakumar said that a government committee on pay anomalies had already turned down old pension scheme, a key demand of the staff, as that would mean more spending on salaries and pension and no funds for welfare schemes in a few years. “Experts had warned of bankruptcy with rising pension expenses annually… No government will accept this (old scheme). The state has to work for the people, not to disburse salaries/ pension,” the minister said. On the demand to hike pay scale of secondary grade teachers on a par with the Central staff, Jayakumar said it would affect horizontal and vertical parity. The state’s own tax revenue stood at ₹1.64 lakh crore in 2018-19, of which 47% is spent on payment of salaries and pension.
Jayakumar said the state would incur an additional expenditure of ₹20,000 crore to disburse the dues of seventh pay commission from the notional date. This is another key demand of the staff.
The striking teachers will have to face more trouble as temporary teachers are replacing them across the state with overwhelming response. “There is no vacancy technically when the teacher gets back to work. They will have to go to the CEO concerned and get a posting, but they will be posted in the next village or town or district. Not in the same place. Tahsildars, deputy tahsildars or block development officers taking part in the strike will be posted outside the district,” said a senior official.
Hold talks with workers, Stalin urges CM
Chennai:
DMK president M K Stalin on Saturday said chief minister Edappadi K Palaniswami should hold talks with the protesting teachers and government employees to end the logjam. In a statement, Stalin said the CM should assure the employees to look into their charter of demands. Recalling the strong-armed tactics adopted by former chief minister J Jayalalithaa against government employees when they struck work years ago, Stalin said it had led to Jayalalithaa losing power in the subsequent election. “More than 51 teachers’ associations and 114 government employees’ associations are protesting against the new pension scheme,” said Stalin. TNN
Rejects All Demands Of Protesters
Julie.Mariappan@timesgroup.com
Chennai:27.01.2019
Rejecting outright the demands of the striking government employees and teachers, the state government on Saturday asked them to return to work or face disciplinary action.
The Joint Action Council of Tamil Nadu Teachers’ Organizations and Government Employees’ Organizations (Jactto-Geo), the supreme body of government staff, however, vowed to continue with the indefinite strike. The high court also had asked the employees to resume work.
The government has already started cracking down. Those who were remanded or let out on bail in the last two days – official estimate says 450 people - have been suspended and more would follow in the coming days, government sources said. While slogan shouting is taken lightly, road roko invokes trouble. The department heads have shot off letters directing district collectors to act. Chief minister Edappadi K Palaniswami held a high-level meeting of ministers and bureaucrats earlier in the day and took stock of the situation.
Soon after, personnel and administrative reforms minister, D Jayakumar said that a government committee on pay anomalies had already turned down old pension scheme, a key demand of the staff, as that would mean more spending on salaries and pension and no funds for welfare schemes in a few years. “Experts had warned of bankruptcy with rising pension expenses annually… No government will accept this (old scheme). The state has to work for the people, not to disburse salaries/ pension,” the minister said. On the demand to hike pay scale of secondary grade teachers on a par with the Central staff, Jayakumar said it would affect horizontal and vertical parity. The state’s own tax revenue stood at ₹1.64 lakh crore in 2018-19, of which 47% is spent on payment of salaries and pension.
Jayakumar said the state would incur an additional expenditure of ₹20,000 crore to disburse the dues of seventh pay commission from the notional date. This is another key demand of the staff.
The striking teachers will have to face more trouble as temporary teachers are replacing them across the state with overwhelming response. “There is no vacancy technically when the teacher gets back to work. They will have to go to the CEO concerned and get a posting, but they will be posted in the next village or town or district. Not in the same place. Tahsildars, deputy tahsildars or block development officers taking part in the strike will be posted outside the district,” said a senior official.
Hold talks with workers, Stalin urges CM
Chennai:
DMK president M K Stalin on Saturday said chief minister Edappadi K Palaniswami should hold talks with the protesting teachers and government employees to end the logjam. In a statement, Stalin said the CM should assure the employees to look into their charter of demands. Recalling the strong-armed tactics adopted by former chief minister J Jayalalithaa against government employees when they struck work years ago, Stalin said it had led to Jayalalithaa losing power in the subsequent election. “More than 51 teachers’ associations and 114 government employees’ associations are protesting against the new pension scheme,” said Stalin. TNN
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