Tamil Nadu government announced a seven per cent hike in the Dearness Allowance of employees of state-run transport corporations even as opposition trade unions in the sector continued their strike pressing for wage revision for the third day today.
DA was enhanced to 107 per cent from 100 per cent from July 1, 2014 and employees of all eight corporations were eligible for it, a Government Order said today.
However, employees affiliated to the 11 unions continued their strike, launched on December 28, as bus services, especially long-distance ones, remained hit though government had expressed the hope that normalcy would be restored today.
A large number of buses remained off the roads while hundreds of striking employees were arrested at various places when they attempted to stage picketing as part of their protest, reports from districts quoting police said.
While drivers and conductors affiliated to ruling AIADMK's Anna Thozhir Snagam operated buses, opposition unions alleged that temporary and trainee drivers had been deployed.
Joining issue with Chief Minister Panneerselvam who had blamed it for the strike, DMK's labour arm Labour Progressive Front accused him of politicising the issue.
Referring to a pending case in the Supreme Court involving the transport trade unions, the Chief Minister had yesterday wondered how the state could go in for talks with LPF in such a scenario and blamed it for instigating the strike.
LPF General Secretary M Shanmugam alleged that AIADMK's labour wing Anna Thozhir Snagam was claiming to be the largest trade union allegedly based on fudged membership roster.
"The trade unions are only urging the government to hold talks and it is the Chief Minister who is politicising the issue," he charged.
On Panneerselvam's stand that the government had already announced an interim payout of Rs 1,000 per month, he claimed employees were angered that it was a "precursor" to conversion of a three-year wage pact which ended last year to five years.
Meanwhile, a meeting of the 11 trade unions resolved to hold protest demonstrations on January 2 in all district headquarters in the state.
CPI(M) announced its party wings will also hold agitations tomorrow, extending support to the striking transport employees and urging the government to hold talks with them.
The unions also demanded release of arrested employees and withdrawal of cases.
