TN govt agrees to clear dues worth Rs. 1250 crore, buses back on roads as strike ends

The three-day transport strike in Tamil Nadu, was withdrawn by 10 unions on Tuesday night. This comes after an agreement was arrived upon by the employee groups and the the Government.

 

The Government has assured unions that they will immediately disburse Rs.1,250 crore towards clearing existing dues and for pensioners. According to reports, the State was represented by Education Minister KA Sengottaiyan, Electricity minister P Thangamani and transport minister MR Vijayabhaskar. DMK backed Labour Progressive Front and CITU, meanwhile, represented the unions. 

 

"The government will be disbursing Rs 1,250 crore to clear pending dues and wage revision talks will be held on May 24," the transport minister told reporters.

LPF General Secretary M Shanmugam then reportedly told  the media that the strike was being called off following the Government's assurances.

 

According to ToI, the Government has further promised that the strike period would be counted as leave days and that no action will be taken against those who took part in it. 

 

The Madurai bench of the Madras High Court on Tuesday ordered the striking employees of the Tamil Nadu State Transport Corporation to return to work or immediately or face disciplinary action under the Essential Services Maintenance Act.

 

Directing the Centre and the state government to take necessary action, the High Court ordered, “If the employees fail to resume work as per the order of this court, the Central government and Tamil Nadu government are directed to take necessary action against them under the Essential Services Maintenance Act and to invoke the power of disciplinary action and also penal action against the violators of the above Act.”

 

All transport unions except those affiliated to the ruling-AIADMK had called for a strike over the issue of wages and Provident Fund, which the government had failed to disburse. 

 

The strike, said to be the biggest in over a decade, was announced after multiple round of talks between the Tamil Nadu State Transport Corporation and Transport Minister MR Vijayabhaskar failed to yield results on Sunday.