TN Government School Teachers on Strike Today – High Court Issues Notice

TN Government School Teachers on Strike Today – Samy Sathiamorthy, a high-level committee member, said around 3 lakh teachers working in 5,800 high and higher secondary schools and 50,000 elementary schools will take part.

All government schools in the State will be open on Thursday, but there will be no classes as teachers will be taking part in the strike announced by various teachers associations.

After talks with the School Education Director failed, the Joint Action Council of TN Teachers Organisation comprising 27 teacher associations has decided to go ahead with the State-wide strike pressing for their 15-point charter of demands on Thursday as announced earlier. The association said the protests will take place at all 32 district headquarters and school keys will be handed over to the respective District Education Offices as no education-related activity will take place.

Samy Sathiamorthy, a high-level committee member, said around 3 lakh teachers working in 5,800 high and higher secondary schools and 50,000 elementary schools will take part.

Their main demand is to increase the pay of secondary grade, post-graduate government teachers and high and higher secondary school headmasters on a par with Central Government teachers. Other demands include restoration of the old pension scheme by striking down the Contributing Pension Scheme and not involving teachers in non-educational activities.

However, hours before the teachers’ associations under the banner JACTO were to go on strike, the Madras High Court today issued a notice to Tamil Nadu government and the associations on a petition seeking to declare the strike as illegal.

Justice M M Sundresh, before whom the petition by one P Arokiya Doss, president of Tamil Nadu All Teachers Progress Forum, Chennai, came up, issued notice to the Secretary, Personnel and Administration Reforms Department and the Secretary, School Education Department and the associations.

The petitioner sought action against the associations that had come together to form a Joint Action Committee of Teachers Organizations (JACTO) to spearhead the strike on October 8.

Doss submitted that the organizations, ranging from primary school teachers forum to higher secondary school teachers and higher secondary school headmasters association, had been impleaded as party-respondents to the case as per the orders of the court on August 5.

“If such illegal activity and publicity is not curtailed or nipped in the bud, they would claim to be saviours of the teaching community and turn teachers against the government,” the petitioner said.

Noting that he had sent a representation to government seeking appropriate action against the striking teachers in March and July this year, Doss sought a direction from the court to the government to take action against the organisers.

The petitioner also wanted the court to declare the October 8 strike as illegal.

However, the TN Teachers Organisation sources said that the strike will go on and  no education-related activity will take place.

Source: Business Standard