CHENNAI: Urging the Tamil Nadu government to fulfil long-pending demands such as job regularisation and fulfilling 63,000 vacancies, several noon meal workers engaged in a State-wide protest on Tuesday.

The one-day protest was held at all district headquarters demanding swift action from the government regarding the concerns placed by the workers and members of TN Nutritious Meal Employees’ Association.

Speaking to DT Next, a protestor and member of the association said, “Chief Minister Stalin, during the election campaign, had promised to fulfil our demands. And, the major demand was to implement the time-scale pay for noon meal workers. We’ve been reeling under major concerns for the past several decades. Though the officials and ministers promise action, nothing has happened yet.”

The major demands include retirement fund of Rs 5 lakh, monthly pension of Rs 9,000 to workers as an aid to family members and the extension of CM breakfast programme to all schools, and implementing the initiative with noon meal staff. Some of the other demands are filling up 63,000 vacancies across TN, increasing the food subsidy per student to Rs 5, avoiding the social audit and instead, local audit to be implemented, fund allocation for schemes related to noon meal workers, and maternity leave of six months to women.