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Pongal time, go by conscience: Madras HC to busmen
The special bench hearing the case has left it to the conscience of the striking trade unions to decide as to whether they could ply the buses from Thursday for five days in public interest in view of Pongal festival.
By
migrator
migrator
Chennai
The special bench comprising Justices S Manikumar and M Govindaraj asked the counsels appearing for the trade unions to inform their decision by Thursday.
Earlier, after hearing senior counsel V Prakash appearing for 11 unions forming part of the DMK and advocate NGR Prasad appearing for the CITU, the bench offered time to the unions to make a decision on withdrawing the strike by accepting the 2.44 per cent wage hike as an interim measure. The bench said that such a proposal is being mooted in public interest and that all other issues pertaining to lack of bona fide in signing the agreement, the flash strike being illegal or not and the wage hike per se can be decided on merits after January 17.
When the bench resumed the proceedings, advocate general Vijay Narayan conceded that the court can take it as an undertaking from the government that it will implement the 2.44 percent wage hike to all.
But, the counsels appearing for the trade unions insisted that the settlement inked on January 4 through 32 minor unions comprising just 30,000 workers should be set aside and a fresh settlement arrived at through talks with the 21 major unions comprising over one lakh workers.
Will take a call after court order on Thursday: Unions
Despite court’s intervention to end the transport strike, transport union workers have announced that strike will continue and that they will make a decision based on the court order on Thursday. The union leaders have also demanded the government to come forward to resume talks to end the strike.
A Soundararajan, president of Tamil Nadu State Employees Federation, affiliated to the CITU, said, “There is no change in our stance and our demand is that the government should increase 2.57 per cent of our wages.” They will not accept the government’s offer to increase the wage at 2.44 per cent, he stressed. The government should also cancel the GO for 2.44%, he said.
K Natarajan, Treasurer of Labour Progressive Federation said, “While we understand the fact that the public is largely affected, why is the government not understanding the same. We
demand the government to sit with us for another round of talks.” Meanwhile, the transport workers picketed the Labour Department office in Teynampet.
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