Village assistants continued their sit-in protest at the Ezhilagam campus in Chennai for the 27th consecutive day on Monday, demanding time-scale pay equivalent to Class IV employees.
The agitation, led by the Tamil Nadu Village Assistants Association Federation, has been under way across the state since February 5. Protesters have been staging a continuous sit-in in Chennai since February 11.
State general secretary Murugan said they met senior Revenue Department officials, who told them that all related files had been forwarded to the Finance Department but no response had been received so far. He said the lack of a reply despite 27 days of protest was disappointing.
Separately, Revenue Department officials held a sit-in for the eighth day inside the Chennai Collectorate complex, pressing a nine-point charter of demands including enactment of a job security law. Similar work boycotts and sit-ins were reported at collectorates across Tamil Nadu, affecting routine office work.
Meanwhile, trade unions of the Tamil Nadu Electricity Board continued protests seeking continuation of pay revision for employees and officers. The board invited office-bearers of 20 unions for talks, and discussions were held with representatives of more than 10 unions till Monday evening, with unions warning of intensified protests if officers are excluded from the pay hike.
