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Ahead of the Pongal festival holidays in Tamil Nadu, transport workers' unions in the state have announced an indefinite bus strike beginning Tuesday, alleging that the state government has not been considering any of their demands.
Workers affiliated with the major unions -Centre of Indian Trade Union (CITU), All India Trade Union Congress (AITUC), and Anna Thozhir Sanga Peravai (ATSP), among others are part of the strike. The unions had put forth several demands including the signing of the 15th wage revision agreement to increase pay, filling vacancies in bus driver and conductor posts and releasing dearness allowances (DA) of Rs 6000 per month for retired workers that has not been released for the last eight years. However, the transport strike called by various transport employees unions demanding the 15th wage revision has not affected the operation of buses including the Metropolitan Transport Corporation (MTC) today. According to the MTC official, in the city where MTC is the sole bus operator a total of 2,098 buses were operated against the normal operation of 2,025 buses. Tamil Nadu Transport Minister SS Sivasankar has termed the strike as a 'political move'. He inspected Chennai Koyambedu Bus Stand and advised transport officials for smooth operation despite strike call by various transport unions today. "For political reasons, such protests are diversion. This is Pongal time. We need to function on special buses. This time such a strike would affect the public. DMK always works for the benefits of Transport workers. DMK has fulfilled many promises. Even in the six demands we are just asking for time," he said. "It's your right to protest but the public shouldn't be affected with this," he urged the striking unions. The DMK-affiliated Labour Progressive Federation (LPF) Union have said this strike is politically motivated by AIADMK and requested all workers to ply the buses. "LPF also has same demands. DMK government is fulfilling each demands one by one. By keeping the goodwill of the public in mind and also to break the AIADMK political motivation it is being requested to run all the buses normally," a statement from LPF Secretary and MP Shanmugam read. (ANI)
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