The one-day strike called by government staff and teachers was near-total.

The strike organised by Joint Action Committee of Tamil Nadu Teachers Organisations and Government Employees Organisations (JACTTO-GEO) wants the State Government to implement the Eight Pay Commission immediately and also discontinue the contributory pension scheme and replace it with the earlier one.

Committee District Leader C Arasu said this was the third strike raising the issue. “We went on strike twice this year requesting the Government to implement the 8th Pay Commission immediately and restore the old pension scheme,” he said, adding that former Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa had promised them that the contributory pension scheme would be discontinued. The present government should implement this immediately, he said.

Government employees who joined service after April 1, 2003, came under the new pension scheme.

District leader Michael Raj said, “The State Government should also offer a 20 per cent interim relief until the implementation of the pay commission.”

Jeevaraj, a private school teacher, alleged that there was no record for the approximately Rs 1,100 crore paid under the PF scheme. He also alleged that benefits under the contributory scheme were less compared to old scheme.