CHENNAI: As there is no truce in the cards, the members of Tamil Nadu Secondary Grade Seniority Teachers’ Association (SGST) protest demonstrations demanding ‘equal pay for equal work’ entered the eighth day.

The SGST representatives have been staging an ongoing protest in Chennai since December 26.

On the eighth consecutive day of the agitation, teachers, along with their family members, continued their sit-in protest near the Chennai District Collector’s Office. During the protest, a few participants sustained minor injuries in a scuffle that broke out when the police attempted to detain them, causing brief tension in the area. The police later safely escorted the children who accompanied the protesting teachers.

SGST general secretary J Robert claimed that the teachers were just protesting “for a single demand”. Reiterating that during the last election, the DMK accepted the teachers’ demand and even included it in their election manifesto, he said, “However, the promise is yet to be fulfilled. If the pay disparity is not resolved, our protest will continue even after schools reopen. The Tamil Nadu government must invite us for talks and address our demand.”