Transport union flays DMK, AIADMK for denying DA hike for retired staff

CHENNAI: CITU-affiliated Tamil Nadu State Transport Employees’ Federation general secretary K Arumugha Nainar hit out at the DMK government and the previous AIADMK government for denying dearness allowance hike for the retired transport corporation workers.

He was reacting to a statement made by Anna Thozhirsanga's secretary Kamalakannan claiming that the then transport minister in the AIADMK government offered to hike the DA, but trade unions like CITU sought payment of DA without any arrears. "The unions said they would approach the court to get it," Kamalakannan said.

Arumuga Nainar said that over 93,000 retired transport corporation workers were denied DA hike for the past eight years. Recalling the series of developments in this regard, he said after a strike in May 2017, the then government gave a written assurance to pay the DA arrears till September 2017.

But the AIADMK regime issued the government order (no. 142) to stop the payment of DA altogether in 2019. "It was the AIADMK government which committed the injustice of denying the DA hike to the retired transport workers. The DMK government is continuing the injustice. There is no difference between the AIADMK and the DMK on the issue of the denial of the DA hike to transport workers," he said.

The present government is going on appeal after appeal against the court order directing to hike the DA of the retired transport corporation workers.