The Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) government in Tamil Nadu is facing a severe backlash from the very same people it had nurtured as a vote-bank for years – government school teachers.
Government school teacher have been on a protest for several days over their anger and frustration that the ruling government has not fulfilled its poll promises despite being in power for the past 2+ years.
A representative of the teachers spoke to media persons and said, “We want a justified solution. The teachers have been suffering all this while, we request the chief minister of Tamil Nadu who is a champion of ensuring social justice should also be known in the future as the one who upheld the rights of the teachers. In 2006, when Kalaignar was the Chief Minister of the state, there was a financial crisis then too. But then, with just one signature, he ensured that the pensions were paid for 45000 teachers. To date, the teachers’ community continues to be loyal to the DMK government. But the present chief minister must not change his ways, we are ready to support you till the end. We request him to do justice for us. He also added that such incidents of police trying to remove the protestors from the venue never happened in the previous regime. For the first time, the ones we helped to form the government, the ones whom we supported and seated on the Chief Minister’s chair is behaving disappointingly. The entire teacher community sees this as agonising. We considered this government as our own and the same people are chasing us out with the help of the police department, we are sorely disappointed”
The teachers’ protests happen every year over their dissatisfaction with regard to the wage increase. The SSTA General Secretary reportedly said that the protests have been happening for 14 years and this time they would end their protests only if their demands are met.
DMK’s Cultivation Of Govt School Teachers As A Vote-Bank
The government school teachers are a pampered group thanks to the late DMK patriarch Karunanidhi.
Karunanidhi viewed state government school teachers as a vote bank and to secure their support, he often resorted to increasing their wages. He has to be blamed for the huge bill that Tamil Nadu government has to foot as salaries towards government school teachers.
In 2009, when Karunanidhi was Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu, he hiked the Dearness Allowance (DA) thrice in just a span of one year and put more money in the pockets of around 12 lakh government employees.
Again in 2011, Karunanidhi approved increased financial benefits for government school teachers, benefiting approximately 2.73 lakh teachers and costing the government ₹160 crore annually then. The special allowance also spilled on to impact pay hikes, dearness allowance (DA), and pension calculations.
Today, a head master of a government school withdraws a monthly pay of around ₹70,000 and withdraws a handsome pension once retired. The amount is much higher in case of secondary or higher secondary school. Same is the case with teachers.
The double standards of these government school teachers become visible as they are okay with the 7th pay commission that has levelled up the pay scale but want the old pension scheme back which will drain the treasury.
If there was one salaried class that withdrew full salary with almost no work during this pandemic, it was Tamil Nadu government school teachers.
In spite of being well paid, government teachers embark on a protest against every now and then no matter who is in power. Joint Action Council of Teachers Organisation – Government Employees Organisation (JACTO-GEO) is the ultra-unionized outfit that organizes these protest. And when the DMK sits in the Opposition, it fuels these protests by extending support and calling for hiking the salaries of the government school teachers.
Their latest demands of “equal pay for equal work” comes despite the MK Stlain government announcing a 4% hike in 7th Pay Commission Dearness Allowance (DA) for state government employees and pensioners.
Poll Promises Come Back To Haunt
During the 2021 Assembly elections, the DMK had pledged to reintroduce the old pension scheme if it gained power. However, the then Tamil Nadu Finance Minister PTR Palanivel Thiagarajan, in 2021, informed the Assembly that due to the state’s precarious financial condition, a choice couldn’t be made regarding reinstating the old pension scheme. He expressed concerns that providing everything for free to everyone, including pensions, could lead to financial insolvency. Furthermore, he equated pensions to freebies, which infuriated teachers and government employees.
In December 2022, the Tamil Nadu government school secondary-grade (SG) teachers went on an indefinite hunger strike demanding equal pay for equal work.
In early 2023, reports indicate that numerous Tamil Nadu government-aided school teachers across several districts did not receive their salaries in the first three days of the month. These teachers, who followed a payment schedule similar to government schools in the state, typically received their monthly salaries on the final day of the month. However, this delay affected many government-aided school teachers, prompting protests in some areas. The issue was said to have stemmed from difficulties in uploading salary lists on the Finance Department’s digital platform, and teachers were concerned about managing family expenses, loan payments, and medical bills without their salaries.
However, the Stalin government announced the construction of the pen statue for Karunanidhi and also the Magalir Urimai Thogai Scheme in September 2023.
When MK Stalin was the Leader of the Opposition, he met with the protesting teachers and offered them his support. He also promised that he was urging the concerned departments to resolve the issue. Speaking to the protestors, he also promised that if need be, he would also speak with the concerned ministers and other officers.
In 2020, he also tweeted “80,000 teachers who passed the qualifying examination are unemployed for 7 years. Retired teacher Sabarimala is leading the fight against #NEET, declaring it a lifetime certificate and demanding employment! Give up the struggle; Demand will be fulfilled in DMK regime!”
Also in their election manifesto, number 311 was announced for the teachers – Equal pay for equal work: ADMK demanded that secondary teachers appointed on the basic pay of ₹8000/- should be given equal pay for equal work. They have been struggling in government for many years. The DMK government will accept the demand of 20,000 such teachers and pay them periodical salaries like other teachers. The ADMK government has cancelled the incentive announced by Arinagar Anna during the tenure of the teachers who get a degree in higher education. This incentive will continue to be offered again.
The DMK’s long-standing strategy of treating government school teachers as a reliable vote bank is now proving to be a double-edged sword. While they have been pampered with increasing salaries and allowances over the years, the unfulfilled promises and ongoing protests reveal the consequences of political opportunism. The DMK’s failure to deliver on its commitments, especially regarding the old pension scheme, is causing discontent among these teachers who were once a stronghold of support. As they demand “equal pay for equal work,” the DMK’s past tactics are coming back to haunt them, raising questions about their commitment to the welfare of teachers beyond electoral gains.
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