Members of the Tamil Nadu Government Employees’ Association (TNGEA) began a 24-hour protest (dharna) at the District Collectorate in Tirunelveli on Monday. They are demanding the revival of the old pension scheme and other long-pending issues. The protest started in front of the Palayamkottai Taluk Office on the Collectorate premises, with employees raising slogans to highlight their demands.
Subbu, the president of TNGEA’s Tirunelveli district, addressed the protesters. He said that government employees have been forced to hold a four-stage protest because the Tamil Nadu government has failed to fulfill its promises. One of the key demands is the revival of the old pension scheme, which was promised by the ruling DMK party in its 2021 election manifesto. However, instead of keeping this promise, the government, led by Chief Minister M.K. Stalin, recently announced in the Assembly that it would study the pros and cons of the Central government’s unified pension scheme.
Subbu stated that this announcement indirectly signals that the Tamil Nadu government has no plans to bring back the old pension scheme. This has left employees feeling betrayed and frustrated.
Other Key Demands
The protesters also raised several other issues:
- Dearness Allowance Arrears: Employees want the government to release the pending dearness allowance arrears.
- Leave Surrender Facility: They are demanding the restoration of the leave surrender facility, which allows employees to convert unused leave into cash.
- Regularisation of Services: Employees in various roles, such as nutritious meal scheme workers, anganwadi workers, rural librarians, village assistants, computer operators, and multipurpose hospital workers, want their services to be regularised with timescale benefits and pensions.
- Road Workers’ Service Period: The 41-month termination period of road workers should be counted as part of their service period.
- Filling Vacancies: All vacant positions in government departments should be filled with full-time employees appointed on a timescale basis.
- Pay Commission Arrears: The government should release the withheld 21 months of Pay Commission arrears.
- Compassionate Appointments: The quota for appointments on compassionate grounds, which was reduced from 25% to 5%, should be restored to 25%.
- Holiday Inspections: Employees want the government to stop conducting inspections and review meetings on holidays.
- Medical Insurance: The government should take full responsibility for the medical insurance scheme for employees and ensure cashless treatment in all hospitals.
- Stop Outsourcing: The practice of outsourcing government jobs should be completely stopped.
Police Intervention
Before the protest began, the police asked the TNGEA members to shift their agitation to a different location. However, the protesters refused, stating that their protest was peaceful and part of a statewide movement to highlight their demands, including those of the Tamil Nadu Police. The police eventually left without forcing the issue.
The protest reflects the growing frustration among government employees over unmet promises and long-standing demands. The TNGEA has vowed to continue its agitation until the government addresses their concerns.
