Return to work, protesting teachers told

The Madras High Court on Wednesday directed the government school teachers, who joined the indefinite strike called by JACTTO-GEO on January 22, to return to work forthwith in the interest of the students.

A Division Bench comprising Justices M Sathyanarayanan and P Rajamanickam, before whom the plea seeking to restrain the teachers from proceeding with the strike came up for special hearing based on a plea moved by a Class 11 student, passed the above direction.

The direction came after heated arguments between the counsel Naveen Kumar appearing for the student and N G R Prasad, who appeared for JACTTO-GEO. 

Prasad contended that besides the issue pending at the Madurai Bench, the teacher had forgone the strike owing to the court’s intervention and assurance that their demands would be fulfilled. 

Despite the lapse of over a year nothing has transpired forcing the teachers to obtain their rightful demands and there was nothing illegal about it, he said.

However, Naveen Kumar highlighted the difficulties faced by students especially with the board exams approaching fast. He said the teachers owe a moral responsibility to the students, who look up to them to do well in their exams.

Advocate General Vijay Narayan submitted that the government is determined to initiate action against the teachers participating in the strike and due notice would be issued to them.

The petitioner R Gokul, a Class 11 student represented by his father P Raja Sekaran, had submitted that lakhs of students are set to write the board examinations. 

A strike would deal a serious blow to the students during this crucial period, when they are made to write mock examinations and are subjected to special classes to supplement their ordinary schedule, the petitioner said.

Also, on noting that teachers have no right to strike or boycott and any such boycott/strike shall be illegal as per the law laid down by the Supreme Court and High Court in a long line of decisions, the plea sought the court to restrain the teachers from resorting to any form of boycott until the completion of the board examination.

The teachers have joined the protest demanding to end the contributory pension scheme with limited benefits and replace it with the general provident fund system that existed earlier and to pay arrears due for 21 months.

Hundreds of members of Joint Action Council of Teachers Organisations- Government Employees Organisation (JACTO-GEO) protested near the Kancheepuram district collectorate on Wednesday.

Nearly 500 people participated in the protest to press for their long-time demand regarding scrapping of the complementary pension scheme and payment of 21-month arrears pay under the Seventh Pay Commission.

All of them were arrested by the police and were taken to community halls nearby and got released in the evening. The employees who protested in Chengalpattu, Maduranthagam and Tambaram were also arrested and released. Police said more than thousand got arrested in Kancheepuram district.

Meanwhile, members of the JACTTO-GEO staged protests and road blockades across the central districts of the State.

The members who assembled in front of the Tiruchy collectorate attempted to block the traffic, forcing the police to arrest as many as 530 protesters, including 383 women. Another 300 persons were held in Manapparai.

Similarly, protests were held in as many as nine places in Thanjavur and around 1,500 were arrested when they attempted to block road traffic near the railway station.

Around 1,000 members were held in Nagapattinam district and in Pudukkottai 1,200 were arrested. Similarly, a large gathering of the employees was witnessed in Tiruvarur.

Residents of a village near Peravurani in Thanjavur district on Wednesday engaged five qualified youngsters to fill in for the regular teachers, who joined the strike organised by JACTTO-GEO. 

As many as 96 students of the Panchayat Union Middle School at Thulukkaviduthi had to return home on Tuesday, as no teacher was present to take classes.

Upset over this, villagers drew up an alternative plan. They looked around for youngsters, who had completed the teacher training course.

The villagers identified five persons, including two women, and asked them to take classes at the school. Much to their pleasant surprise, the youngsters readily agreed to help the children. 

The temporary teachers arrived at the school on Wednesday morning as per the schedule. Upon finding the classrooms locked, they taught children in the school’s corridor and under a tree.

“We made this arrangement to ensure that the students were not affected since the regular teachers had joined the protest. The children were sent home in the afternoon on Wednesday as they did not bring lunch. 

We have arranged for lunch from Thursday and their classes would continue uninterrupted,” said Pragalatha, an office bearer of the school’s PTA.