After talks with Mins, JACTO-GEO defers April 11 stir

CHENNAI: After meeting State ministers on Saturday, the members of Joint Action Council of Teachers’ Organisations-Government Employees Organisations (JACTO-GEO) announced that the protest planned for April 11 has been temporarily postponed.

Calling the State government to meet a slew of long-pending demands concerning government school teachers, the JACTO-GEO association had announced a protest on April 11.

Following this, Minister for School Education Anbil Mahesh Poyyamozhi, Industries Minister Thangam Thennarasu and Minister for Public works, Highways and Minor Ports EV Velu held a meeting with State coordinators of JACTO-GEO on Saturday.

As a conclusion of the oneand-a-half-hour meeting, the association postponed the scheduled protest. However, in the meeting, the coordinators have submitted their demands yet to be addressed by the government. As ministers assured action from the government’s end in due time, the coordinators decided to temporarily withdraw the protest.

Meanwhile, it is to be noted that after a similar meeting with Chief Minister MK Stalin in early January, the association members temporarily withdrew protest. However, they went on to hold a statewide protest on January 5.

Some of the demands placed by JACTO-GEO include paying the pending arrears under the dearness allowance (DA), revising the old pension scheme, filling the pay discrepancy of Rs 3,170 to 20,000 secondary-grade teachers, regularising the 12,000 part-time teachers earning a meagre salary of Rs 10,000, re-introducing the incentive scheme for teachers and lastly allowing the teachers to surrender the earned offs for pay like the previous years.

“We welcome the hike in DA given by the CM on the new year. However, we are yet to get pending arrears from the government. And, we urge the government to not employ staff on a part-time basis anymore, as it deeply affects the lives of teachers, “added the member.

On earned leaves, the member pointed out that earlier teachers were allowed to surrender their leaves and get paid instead. This system ceased a few years ago, but we urge the government to re-introduce the same.