Tamil Nadu Government Employees, Teachers to Protest Despite DA Hike

Joint Action Council of Teachers’ Organisations-Government Employees’ Organisations (JACTO-GEO) will go ahead with its protest on Thursday despite Tamil Nadu chief minister (CM) MK Stalin’s announcement of a dearness allowance (DA) hike.

The DA for government employees, including teachers, pensioners and family pensioners, is increased from 34% to 38% with immediate effect, Stalin said on New Year’s day. The increase, effective from January 1, 2023, would benefit about 16 lakh staff and entail an additional annual expenditure of Rs 2,359 crore to the state exchequer.

“The officials should consider it (DA hike) as a New Year gift and cooperate with the state government to work for the welfare of the people,” the CM said in a statement.

Regarding the pay discrepancy of Rs 3,170 for 20,000 secondary-grade teachers (SGTs), Stalin promised to form a committee headed by the secretary of finance with the secretary of the school education department and the director of primary education as members and take decisions on its recommendations.

Following the announcement, the protesting SGTs, under the Secondary Grade Seniority Teachers’ Association, called off
their hunger strike.

MEETING WITH CM

Office-bearers of JACTO-GEO member associations split into four groups and met Stalin at the chief secretariat in Chennai on January 2 expressing gratitude for the DA hike but also urging him to consider their other demands.

JACTO-GEO members meet CM MK Stalin in Chennai on Monday.

They demanded the payment of arrears under DA for the six-month grace period. The members also asked to revise the old pension scheme. JACTO-GEO has strongly opposed the existing Contributory Pension Scheme stating that employees are facing huge losses.

The other demands include ending the pay discrepancy for SGTs, regularising the 12,000 part-time teachers earning a meagre salary of Rs 10,000 and reintroducing the incentive scheme for teachers. Another demand is to allow teachers to surrender the earned offs for pay like the previous years.

Given their pending demands, JACTO-GEO has decided not to withdraw the protest call.

JANUARY 5 PROTEST

Nearly, 5 lakh employees are expected to participate in the January 5 protest, which would be held in respective districts. State government employees had expected the DMK to fulfil their demands upon coming to power in 2021. But 20 months later, they are still struggling to get their demands met.

Stalin had attended the JACTO-GEO ‘Livelihood Confidence’ conference in Chennai on September 10 last year and the organisers hoped that he would make an announcement about fulfilling their demands.