The Hindu : Tamil Nadu / Chennai News : Wage settlement for transport staff hailed

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Friday, Feb 08, 2008
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Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu - Chennai

Wage settlement for transport staff hailed

Special Correspondent

CHENNAI: The Labour Progressive Federation (LPF), labour wing of the ruling Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam, and the Tamil Nadu State Transport Employees’ Federation (TNSTEF), affiliated to the Centre of Indian Trade Unions (CITU), have welcomed the latest wage settlement for transport corporations’ employees.

In separate statements, C. Kuppusamy and A. Soundararajan, presidents of the LPF and TNSTEF, pointed out that the periodicity for the revision of the wage agreement had been fixed at three years. It was kept at five years during the previous regime of the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam.

Mr Kuppusamy said other features were 12 per cent rise in pay (against 9 per cent increase allowed during the AIADMK regime), payment of dearness allowance on percentage basis, annual increments of Rs. 90 and Rs. 50, a 10 per cent dearness allowance for workers living in any part of hilly areas, payment of Rs. 50 for drivers at all levels for accident-free track record and increase in educational assistance from Rs. 100 to Rs.150.

Mr Soundararajan said it was decided during the negotiations that streamlining of pension, an important demand of the workers, would be carried out in three months.

“Relief to a large extent has been provided to the transport corporations’ employees who were rendered injustice during the previous AIADMK regime in several aspects,” he said.

Rejected

Striking a discordant note, the Marumalarchi Labour Front, labour wing of the Marumalarchi Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam, rejected the settlement on the ground that its demands were not incorporated in the wage agreement.

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