Government staff arrested for ‘Secretariat march’

The members have been on fast at the Ezhilagam campus since June 11. Suddenly they stepped out of the campus and threatened to march towards the Secretariat to meet the Chief Minister to press their demands. 

They also shouted slogans denouncing the government for not conceding their demands.

They were stopped on the arterial Kamarajar Salai by the police. Amid jostling between the police and the agitators, police arrested them and took them in a police van. They said their agitation would continue till the government invite them for talks and concede the demands.

On Tuesday, DMK working president M K Stalin raised the issue in the State Assembly and wanted the Chief Minister to invite the striking JACTTO-GEO members and hold talks with them to end the stir.

After deputy Chief Minister O Panneerselvam gave his reply and appealed to the JACTTO-GEO members to call off their stir considering the financial situation of the State, Stalin along with other DMK members staged a walk out from the Assembly expressing dissatisaction over his reply.

More than 200 JACTTO-GEO members were on fast demanding, among other things, scrapping the new pension scheme, reverting back to the old pension scheme and the payment of 21 months’ arrears to government employees and teachers, and rectify anomalies in the Seventh Pay Commission recommendations.

On May 8, thousands of JACTTO-GEO members, including scores of women, were arrested in the city, when they attempted to take out a march towards the State Secretariat to press their charter of demands.