Tamil Nadu: Secondary grade teachers announce 3-phase protest in December

CHENNAI: The Secondary Grade Seniority Teachers' Association (SSTA) has announced a three-phase state-wide protest on December 1, 5, and 24, demanding that the state government fulfil several demands pending for more than two decades.

In the first phase, the 20,000 affected teachers will go to work, highlighting their demands from December 1. In the second phase, a rally will be held at the district headquarters on December 5. In the third phase, a continuous protest has been planned from December 24.

Demanding that the Tamil Nadu government address pay disparity for close to two decades now, the SSTA members have been continuously staging protests.

The association members highlighted that the DMK during the 2021 election campaign promised to fulfil all demands and reiterated the same in its election manifesto number 311. However, despite frequent protests and requests, the government has ignored us to date, claimed the SGTs.

However, the government held a meeting with SSTA members in September. During the meeting, discussions were held by the school education department and the Finance Minister Thangam Thennarasu and it was decided to form a committee to find a permanent solution for the long-pending wage issue.

Nearly 20,000 SGTs have been requesting both the AIADMK and DMK governments to address the pay disparity faced by teachers appointed after June 2009 of Rs 3,170 for the same amount of work as those appointed on or before May 31, 2009.

The teachers also claimed that in December 2022, the seventh pay commission severely affected them, as the pay gap further widened.