After multiple rounds of talks between the government and transport trade unions failed to resolve some of the crucial demands of workers, Tamil Nadu is all set to go on a public transport strike. The state transport corporation workers to launch an indefinite strike from Monday.
Thousands of workers from all major unions, except ATP affiliated to the ruling AIADMK, will participate in the strike. The workers’ demands include disbursal of long-pending pension debts that now amounts to a whopping Rs 1,650 crore.
Even on Sunday, in Coimbatore, Tirupur, the Nilgiris, Erode, Thanjavur, Nagapattinam and Chennai, a number of drivers and conductors did not report for the afternoon shift.
In a bid to stop workers from going on strike, the government led by transport minister MR Vijayabaskar told the union leaders that the government would pay the pension arrears in tranches. However, union leaders who joined the negotiations at Pallavan House refused to accept a verbal assurance and sought a formal order.
It is likely to be a worse strike as a good majority of more than 20,000 buses belonging to the various State transport corporations would remain idle.
—
