Chennai, Feb 24 Tamil Nadu government employees, including members of the Joint Action Council of Tamil Nadu Teachers Organisation and Government Employees Organisation (JACTO-GEO), have given the state government until 8 PM on Monday to respond to their demands.
The employees, who have threatened to go on strike from Tuesday, set the deadline after presenting a ten-point charter of demands to a four-member ministerial committee.
Speaking to the media after negotiations at the state secretariat, JACTO-GEO representatives reaffirmed their stance on their demands, with a primary focus on reinstating the Old Pension Scheme and allowing government employees to surrender their earned leave.
The ministerial committee, comprising senior ministers E. V. Velu and Thangam Thennarasu, assured the employee representatives that they would consult Chief Minister M. K. Stalin and communicate the government’s decision.
When asked if they would consider the Unified Pension Scheme as an alternative, the representatives rejected the proposal, stating, “We do not approve of the Unified Pension Scheme. Our demand is the complete revival of the Old Pension Scheme.” Amitthakumar, General Secretary of the Tamil Nadu Officers Union, noted that employees had held token strikes twice last year and resumed work based on government assurances.
“The ministers have promised to consult the Chief Minister and inform us of the decision. Depending on the government’s response, we will convene and decide on our next course of action,” he said.
However, there is uncertainty over whether the government will make any official announcements, given that the Assembly session has already been scheduled, with the state budget for the 2025-26 financial year set to be presented on March 14.
Tamil Nadu Secretariat Association President G. Venkatesan welcomed the government’s willingness to engage in discussions but emphasised that employees’ future actions would depend on the steps taken after these talks.
Meanwhile, Frederic Engels, state coordinator of the Contributory Pension Scheme Abolition Movement, expressed doubts about the government’s sincerity, calling the formation of committees a “delaying tactic” to suppress protests.
“Instead of fulfilling its election promises, the DMK government continues to set up committees. A similar meeting with three ministers a few months ago only led to a temporary postponement of protests, with no real progress since then,” Engels stated.
The Tamil Nadu government had previously announced the formation of a committee to study the Old Pension Scheme, the Contributory Pension Scheme, and the Unified Pension Scheme (introduced by the Union government) to determine the most suitable pension system for the state. However, employees remain sceptical about whether this will lead to concrete action.
--IANS
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