JACTTO GEO holds massive hunger strike in southern districts

Members of JACTTO-GEO observe a fast in Thoothukudi on Saturday.
| Photo Credit:
N. RAJESH

Demanding the revival of the old pension scheme as promised by the ruling DMK in its poll manifesto, members of the Joint Action Council of Tamil Nadu Teachers Organisation and Government Employees’ Organisation (JACTTO GEO) observed a hunger strike in southern districts on Saturday.

At the fast organised on the District Collectorate premises, a large number of government employees and teachers participated in the protest that was marked by continuous sloganeering.

The protestors said the government employees and teachers, who joined service after April 1, 2003, were covered under the contributory pension scheme instead of the old pension scheme. Since the contributory pension scheme was not as beneficial as the old pension scheme, JACTTO GEO was organising a series of agitations demanding the revival of the old pension scheme.

They recalled that during the 2021 Assembly election, the DMK had promised the government employees and teachers that the party would revive the old pension scheme if elected to power. Hence, they overwhelmingly supported the DMK, which was now ‘cheating’ them after coming to power in 2021 by setting up a commission to study the demand and the Centre’s Unified Pension Scheme.

“It is nothing but betrayal and cheating of those who ensured the return of DMK to power. If Chief Minister M.K. Stalin dares to trash this all-important demand, we will let down the DMK this time in the upcoming Assembly election,” said speakers at the venue.

The Government Order 25 of 2023, which seriously affected more than 90% of primary school teachers should be withdrawn and secondary grade, high school and higher secondary school teachers and higher secondary school headmasters, physical education teachers and physical education directors be given the pay on par with teachers of Central schools.

The Career Advancement Scheme meant for college teachers should be implemented immediately by giving incentive, and pay anomalies of teachers, technical staff, drivers etc. addressed. Secondary grade teachers working in high and higher secondary schools should be upgraded as graduate teachers.

Nutritious meal scheme and anganwadi workers, village assistants, village panchayat secretaries, rural librarians, sanitary workers working with the education department, nurses working with consolidated pay, special teachers etc., all drawing special timescale, should be given regularised scale of pay. Part-time teachers must be made permanent.

Since most of the government departments functioned with 30% vacancies, steps should be taken to fill up the vacancies for effective functioning. Those who were appointed between 2002 and 2004 on consolidated pay should be made permanent from their date of appointment and with stipulated pay scale. The suspended period of 41 months of road workers should be regularised and the teacher eligibility test discontinued, the protestors said.

JACTTO GEO district coordinators M. Subbu, G. Stanley, G.K. Michael George Kamalesh, V. Gomathinayagam, V. Paul Kathiravan and Vasanthi presided over the agitation.

“If the Tamil Nadu Government is still adamant in rejecting our genuine demands and refuses to restore the old pension scheme, our protests will continue intensely with taluk-level campaigns between December 15 and 19 and the district-level conference on December 27 for preparing our members for indefinite strike from January 6,” said Mr. Subbu.

More than 700 protestors, including 200 women, participated in the protest.

In Thoothukudi, district coordinators of JACTTO GEO Mahendra Prabhu and Kalai Udaiyar led the hunger strike organised near Chidambara Nagar bus stop.

Similar agitations were organised in Tenkasi district and Nagercoil in Kanniyakumari district where government employees and teachers participated in large numbers.