TN employees go on stir despite govt terming it as illegal

Chennai:

Banking transactions as well as state government official machinery was hit as both bank and state government employees went on strike on Tuesday even as Tamil Nadu government warned that the strike by government workers is ‘illegal’.

M Anbarasan, general secretary of Tamil Nadu Government Employees Association said that government offices, colleges and schools has been affected as nearly 10 lakh government employees are participating in a day long strike demanding implementation of Seventh Pay Commission recommendations.

Anbarasan said that agitations will cotinue in 300 to 400 places across the state on Tuesday demanding implementation of the Seventh Pay Commission recommendations on par with Central government employees. The government employees are also demanding 20 per cent immediate interim relief before the implementation of Pay Commission recommendations.

Interestingly, the state government has warned the employees that action would be initiated as the strike violates Tamil Nadu Government Servants Conduct Rules, 1973.

In a circular to all secretaries to government, Chief Secretary Girija Vaidyanathan has said that disciplinary action will be initiated against the government officials participating in the strike.

“The absence of employees belonging to recognised or unrecognised service associations of teachers and government employees will be considered unauthorised and they are not entitled to pay and allowances on the basis of the principle ‘No work - No Pay’,” she said.

She also said that part-time employees on daily wages and on consolidated pay will be liable to be discharged from service. She also urged the secretaries to deny casual leave or any other leave other than medical leave for the state government employees on August 22.

Abarasan said a meeting will be held on August 26-27 to prepare for indefinite strike from September 7 if the demands are not met.

Bank Stir: A total of 55,000 bank employees across the state joined the nation-wide strike on Tuesday to protest the plan to privatise public sector banks, merger and consolidation of banks and other demands including not to write-off non performing assets in banks, said All India Bank Employees Association general secretary C H Venkatachalam.