TN govt employees to go on mass casual leave and protests on Tuesday

CHENNAI: The Joint Action Council of Tamil Nadu Teachers Organisation and Govt Employees Organisation (Jactto-Geo), the supreme body of govt employees and teachers, on Monday decided to go on mass casual leave and hold demonstrations near district collectorates on Tuesday after talks with a panel of four state ministers failed to reach a consensus.

They are pressing for a 10-point charter of demands, including reverting to the old pension scheme from the existing contributory pension scheme.

The govt-constituted committee of ministers, including E V Velu, Thangam Thennarasu, Anbil Mahesh Poyyamozhi and N Kayalvizhi Selvaraj, held a meeting earlier in the day with the representatives of employees. Chief minister M K Stalin held a meeting with committee members at the secretariat later in the evening. There was no official announcement from govt on the demands of the staff.

“They (the ministers) are seeking four weeks' time to address our grievances. We can’t give them that much time. Our protests will take place as scheduled at 11 am, and staff members will go on mass casual leave. Around 11 lakh staff members will join the protests, including those working in colleges, schools, offices of taluk and collectorates,” Jactto-Geo state coordinator M Seenivasan told reporters.

Stay updated with breaking news, bank holidays and upcoming public holidays in march.