Officially, the government has not reacted to the indefinite strike by transport employees. As is the game in politics, the ruling AIADMK has squarely blamed the DMK’s trade union, the Labour Progressive Federation (LPF), for the impasse on wage settlements.
After a legal battle, the LPF was granted the status of sole bargaining agent on December 10. This recognition, which would be in force till November 2015, was also subject to the outcome of the case before the Supreme Court.
Now, the AIADMK’s union, the Anna Tholirsanga Peravai, claims that it has the maximum number of workers on its rolls — a staggering 70,386 members, roughly 70 per cent of the workforce.
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On December 4, the LPF and 10 other unions gave a notice for strike, saying they planned to start their agitation on December 19 or on any day later. Conciliation talks were held on December 26 and 27 by the special deputy commissioner in the Labour Department.
On December 26, the officials told the unions that their demands would be conveyed to the government and the interests of workers would be protected. The next day, the officials told the unions that there was a legal impediment to hold talks with all the unions. The impediment could be cleared only if the LPF gave its consent in writing and an appropriate court order is obtained. Otherwise, any talks with unions would be viewed as contempt of court. Official sources say the original understanding was that the LPF would give a written consent on December 30 but it has backed out now. The impasse continues.
The sudden transfer of Higher Education Secretary Hemant Kumar Sinha came as a surprise to many officers. The transfer of Mr. Sinha came a day after reports appeared in the press that he and Commissioner of Technical Education Praveen Kumar had refused at a Syndicate meeting to approve the Madras University's decision on appointments to various faculty posts. However, what has not gone unnoticed among official circles is the ‘Dharmapuri connection.’ Mr. Sinha's successor, Apoorva, was the Dharmapuri District Collector in 2001-2002 and Dharmapuri is also the home district of Higher Education Minister P. Palaniappan.