CHENNAI: The members of the Joint Action Council of Tamil Nadu Teachers Organisations and Government Employees Organisations (JACTO-GEO), have decided to start their indefinite strike from December 4 as planned. Chief Minister Edapaddi K Palaniswami on Saturday urged the body to withdraw its strike call and extend its cooperation to relief work in Cyclone Gaja-hit parts of the State.
In a statement, the CM noted he had deputed Fisheries Minister D Jayakumar and senior bureaucrats to meet with the JACTO-GEO team. In the meeting, the body’s representatives elaborated on their demands, including revival of old pension schemes. “The TS Sridhar committee, constituted to look into the demand for restoring the old pension scheme, submitted its report recently.
The minister said the government would take a decision after scrutinising the report,” he said. TN was paying Dearness Allowance immediately despite a financial crisis and had implemented wage revision commission recommendations, he said, adding JACTO-GEO’s demands would be scrutinised and action would be taken.
Meanwhile, the body held a high-level meeting in the city on Saturday. Resolutions unanimously adopted included that the old pension scheme should be implemented, secondary grade teachers should be given wages equal to Central government staff and teachers and government employees appointed during 2003 and 2004 under consolidated pay should be given timescale from date of their appointment.
The body resolved to stage demonstrations at all union headquarters in TN on December 4 and at all taluk headquarters on December 5. A ‘road roko’ would be staged at every district headquarter on December 7. Members decided 10 teachers and government employees from every organisation of JACTO-GEO, would be deployed for Gaja relief work.