Tamil Nadu Transport department buses. (File | EPS) 
Tamil Nadu

Give us Diwali advance, or be prepared for strike: Tamil Nadu transport employees to government 

Trade unions indicated they will wait for two days, saying they would finalise and clarify their stand on striking work on November 2.

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CHENNAI: Employees of Tamil Nadu state transport undertakings Wednesday threatened to go on strike following government's non-assurance on key demands, including Diwali festival advance.

Trade unions indicated they will wait for two days, saying they would finalise and clarify their stand on striking work on November 2.

Their protest could be the second in a year when state-run buses kept off roads following their eight-day strike launched last December.

Emerging from a tripartite meeting involving the Labour Department and officials of various state transport undertakings (STUs), trade union representatives said the government was "pushing" them towards a strike.

They said officials remained non-committal on implementing demands, including paying Diwali advance, besides revoking disciplinary action against some employees, as agreed upon earlier.

These discussions have been going on for some time and the employees were not threatening to strike work just ahead of Diwali, i.e. November 6, they added.

They said they will wait till November 2 before making a concrete announcement on striking workers. STU employees had earlier struck work in December last on wage revision issue, and called it off just three days ahead of Pongal festival in January.

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