Tamil Nadu noon meal workers go on strike demanding higher wages

However, the govt discounted the protest and said the nutritious meal scheme will not be affected

Thousands of noon meal workers today went on an 'indefinite' strike pressing for various demands including wage revision, but the government discounted the protest and said the nutritious meal scheme covering over 54 lakh children will not be affected.

About 60,000 members of Tamil Nadu Nutritional Noon Meal Workers Association have gone on indefinite strike demanding implementation of their demands, its state President K Palanisamy told PTI.

Meanwhile, a release from the Social Welfare Department, which implements the scheme, said 1.28 lakh persons were employed under this scheme with the government offering them "adequate" sops even as they were provided special consolidated pay.

The demands include revision of wages, a minimum pension of about Rs 3,000 and minimum gratuity, Palanisamy said, adding, the government had not favourably responded to it and therefore the strike.

"Office assistants and guards with similar or lesser educational qualification are better paid," he said.

The employees will resume work only if their demands were met.

However, the state government said the strike 'by one workers' association' was 'unnecessary' and against the interests of the school students.

The release said the department, which implements the Dr MGR Nutritious Noon Meal Scheme covering 54.63 lakh students through 42,619 centres, had received a charter of demands from 11 associations.

"The associations had stated withdrawal of strike following assurance by the government that 12 of the demands will be considered and due orders issued," it said.

DMK supremo M Karunanidhi has expressed support to the striking workers.