Members of the Joint Action Council of Teachers’ Organisations-Government Employees’ Organisations (JACTO-GEO) agreed to withdraw their agitation temporarily and get back to work by afternoon on Friday, following the orders of Madurai Bench of the Madras High Court.
The Bench directed the government to look into their demands and submit its views on September 21.
It had earlier directed the respondents to appear before it after they defied the court order and went ahead with the agitation.
Contempt petition
The court had issued a stay order saying that strike was not a fundamental right and government employees should look for alternative methods to resolve their issues.
A contempt petition was also filed for disobeying the court’s orders.
The court recalled that the Supreme Court in T. K. Rangarajan vs. Government of Tamil Nadu and others had observed that to go on strike was not a fundamental, statutory, moral or an equitable right.
T. Sekaran of Madurai had filed the public interest litigation petition stating that strike by government staff would cause hardship to the general public.
The JACTO-GEO members launched an indefinite strike from September 7 after their request for implementation of the Seventh Pay Commission recommendations and restoration of the old pension scheme was not addressed by the government.
The court directed the Chief Secretary to appear before it on September 21 to ascertain the views of the government for resolving the dispute.
The contempt petition was posted for hearing on September 21.
Welcoming the court order, M Ravichandran, former vice president of All India Federation of University and College Teachers Organisations (AIFUCTO), said the verdict paved the way for teaching and learning to resume in thousands of State-run schools and colleges across Tamil Nadu.
“The learned judges have seen merit in demands and feet-dragging by bureaucracy and have summoned the State Chief Secretary by way of dispute resolution, it is historic and unprecedented and most welcome,” he said.