CHENNAI: Amidst several protests underway demanding to implement the old pension scheme, the Tamil Nadu Elementary School Teacher’s Federation has announced a protest at every district headquarters on December 29. Meanwhile, the Secondary Grade Teachers commenced the state-wide protest on Wednesday demanding equal pay for equal work.

The Joint Action Council of Tamil Nadu Teachers’ Organisations and Government Employees’ Organisations (JACTTO-GEO), among 44 different government employees and teachers, met the ministers of different portfolios. Following which, JACTTO announced a protest on January 6.

Due to the protest to be held on December 29, the federation has placed a set of demands to the government such as revision of the old pension scheme, payment of dearness allowance arrears for 21 months, extension of compassionate appointments to all staff, filling vacancies in government offices and schools and universities including the Secretariat, provision of incentive pay for teachers pursuing higher education, and exemption of Teacher Eligibility Test (TET) for in-service teachers.

They also wanted to prohibit the outsourcing of employees for government departments to private agencies, reintroduce leave encashment, equal pay for equal work for secondary grade teachers and regularise part-time teachers.

Speaking to DT Next, a federation member said, “We’ve been holding protests demanding the State government fulfil its election promises in 2021. We urge the government to fulfil these long pending demands that both AIADMK and DMK parties have tossed around for years.”