Chennai: With a majority of government employees and teachers returning to work today, it is business as usual in offices and schools. Though JACTTO-GEO, which spearheaded the strike, is yet to officially call it off, normalcy has resumed all over the State, thanks to the firm stand of the government.

Today, a day before the pay day, banks have reportedly been told to put on hold the salaries of government staff, including teachers, since it has been decided to deduct the pay for the days during which the employees did not report for work.
It is learnt that the government will release the salaries of staff after deducting the wages for the days they did not work.

The Joint Action Council of Tamilnadu Teachers’ Organisations and Government Employees’ Organisations (JACTTO-GEO) has said it would drop the strike if Chief Minister Edappadi K Palaniswami invites its office-bearers for talks.

Government staff numbering in lakhs had started their indefinite strike 22 January. The government had already arrested protestors apart from suspending many.

Yesterday, Palaniswami urged them to get back to work.

Fisheries Minister D Jayakumar reiterated that the demands of the protestors will not be taken up. He said the current financial situation of the State dictates the decision of the government in not meeting the demands of the government staff and teachers.

Earlier, creating more incentives for teachers to return to work, the School Education Department issued a circular to all chief education officers Monday, informing that the teachers who return to work will be given preference in transfers to fill vacancies created by the suspension.

The department had already issued a circular over the weekend promising teachers that no disciplinary action will be taken against them if they returned to work Monday. The circular, however, said teachers’ salary will be cut under the ‘no work, no pay’ policy for the days they absented themselves.

Children from a few schools in the State held protests outside their schools asking their teachers to come back to work.

The association has a 9-point charter of demands in which it urged the government to repeal the new pension scheme and revert to the old one, settle a 21-month arrears according to the new pay commissions guidelines, settle pay anomalies for secondary teachers and regularise the jobs of part-time staff and teachers working in anganwadis.