Over 500 Tamil Nadu State Transport Corporation (Coimbatore) workers, a few of them with their family members, staged a protest here for the sixth day on Tuesday. The workers who staged the protest in front of the Corporation’s head office on Mettupalayam Road, said they would intensify their protest if the State Government did not accede to their demand for annulling the wage pack.
Workers and leaders of the trade unions of DMK’s Labour Progressive Front, Congress’ Indian National Trade Union Congress, CPI’s All India Trade Union Congress, CPI (M)’s Centre of Indian Trade Unions, MDMK Marumalarchi Labour Front and of Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi, Naam Tamilar, DMK, DMDK and others wanted the State Government wanted to immediately call the union representatives for talks.
They also wanted the government to immediately disburse the ₹7,000 crore to be paid to workers and pensioners.
Labour Progressive Front’s K. Periasamy said around 80 % of the 1,041 buses under the Corporation in Coimbatore were off road and 11,819 of the 14,000 workers were on strike. The Corporation managers, however, said 80 % buses were on road.
Mr. Periasamy said the wage pact was against workers’ interest. The Government had forced it upon the workers and if a secret ballot (referendum) were to be held, all workers would oppose the wage pact.
Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi’s trade union leader Viduthalai Ravi said the Government should not private the transport corporation, as asked by the Madras High Court on Monday. He also wanted the Government to drop cases registered against the workers in the current strike period.
The trade union leaders said the Government should also provide to workers who had joined after 2013 the same pension scheme it had provided to those who joined work prior to 2013.
CITU’s P. Kaliappan said the Government must also agree to the workers’ demand for 2.57 times the difference in grade pay between its employees and transport corporations’ employees so as to bring about a parity in wages.
After staging a protest by shouting slogans, the workers left the venue. The police said they did not arrest any workers as they had dispersed from the place.
