Stalin demands withdrawal of action against 5,068 government employees

DMK president M.K. Stalin on Thursday urged the State government to withdraw departmental action taken against the 5,068 government employees and teachers, who protested in support of their charter of demands. He pointed out that government employees had contributed ₹150 crore to the Chief Minister’s Public Relief Fund to fight COVID-19.

In a statement in Chennai, Mr Stalin said the government had belittled the fair demands and aspirations of the employees even though they gave up their protest after Chief Minister Edappadi K. Palaniswami promised to look into their demands.

“The Chief Minister should withdraw the action against them. Otherwise the DMK once elected to power will fulfil the just demands of the government employees and teachers,” he said.

Recalling the protests of the government employees and teachers in demand of reverting to the old pension scheme instead of the Defined Contributory Pension Scheme (CPS), Mr Stalin said the government had published an advertisement in papers denigrating their demands.

“When they launched the protest, the Chief Minister requested them to give it up. But departmental action followed after they resumed work. It is highly condemnable. While the DMK government protected government employees and their families, the AIADMK government [2001-06] arrested them at midnight and dismissed lakhs of them overnight,” he said.

Mr. Stalin said the government employees and teachers could not get promotions and increments and pensions because the departmental action was pending. “What does the Chief Minister seek to achieve by subjecting them to difficulties? It is unpardonable that he initiated action after requesting them to withdraw their strike,” he said.