Schools, offices deserted, banking out of gear

The members from Joint Action Council of Teachers Organisations and Government Employees Organisation (JACTO-GEO) staged protests pressing for their demands abandoning the government offices and schools. While, traders and public were badly affected by the one-day bankers’ strike as transactions to the tune of a few thousand crores of rupees were affected across the state. 

The main motive of the JACTO-GEO protest was said to be urging the State government to implement the old pension scheme, seventh pay commission. The members have planned to go on for a continuous strike from September 7, provided their demands were not addressed by state government.

Out of the 1,647 schools in Tiruchy districts, more than 80 per cent of the primary schools were closed for the strike and the students who were unaware of the closure came to the school as usual and stayed outside the schools under the supervision of noon meal organisers.

Many government schools in Chennai city saw low attendance because many teachers took part in the government employees strike on the DPI campus. 

Similar was the situation across the government offices in the state. Response for the strike was very high in the Chief Minister’s home district Salem, where protesters claimed that around 25,000 of them took part in the strike. 

It is said to be close to 90 per cent of the manpower in the government departments in that district. Schools were among the worst hit as many schools did not have adequate teachers.

In Coimbatore, while the protesters claimed that over 90 per cent of the employees and officers were on strike, the district collector claimed that only 40 per cent were on strike, while the rest turned up for work. 

Meanwhile, in the banking staff strike across the state, protesting bank officials and employees raised slogans urging the government at the Centre and nationalised banks to collect the outstanding loans to the tune of Rs 13 lakh crore and protested writing off corporate loans to the tune of Rs 7,000 crore. They also condemned banks bringing down the rate of interest for savings accounts to make up the loss due to pending loans and non-performing accounts.