Chennai, Dec 11 (IANS) The Tamil Nadu government has issued a strict warning to employees planning to stay away from work on Thursday as part of a statewide one-day strike called by various government employees’ unions.

Chief Secretary Muruganandam has made it clear that a day’s salary will be deducted from all employees who skip duty to participate in the protest.

The government employees’ unions, led by the Federation of Government Employees and Teachers Associations, have been protesting continuously, demanding the scrapping of the Contributory Pension Scheme (CPS) and the restoration of the Old Pension Scheme (OPS).

As part of this ongoing agitation, the unions have announced a one-day strike on Thursday, asking employees across departments to abstain from work.

Responding to this, the Chief Secretary issued a circular warning that any employee availing leave on today — except for medical leave — will face a cut in salary. The circular, sent to all Additional Chief Secretaries and District Collectors, instructs that no form of casual leave or any other type of leave should be sanctioned for December 11, except on genuine medical grounds.

The instructions further emphasise strict monitoring of attendance across all government departments. Department heads have been asked to ensure that employees report to duty as usual and to take note of any unauthorised absence.

Officials failing to follow attendance rules will be deemed to have violated service regulations, the circular stated.

To ensure close supervision, the Chief Secretary has directed all departments to send a consolidated attendance report to the government by 10.15 a.m. via email. This record is expected to include the names of employees present, absent, and those attempting to avail leave without proper approval.

The government’s tough stance comes amid increasing pressure from employees’ unions, which argue that the CPS denies them financial security after retirement. They have been demanding the revival of the OPS, which guarantees a fixed pension for life. While the state government has acknowledged the concerns, it has maintained that reverting to the old pension model will impose a heavy financial burden on the exchequer.

With the unions insisting on intensifying their protest and the government refusing to yield, Thursday‘s strike is expected to test the participation levels across departments — especially in the backdrop of the stern warning that salaries will be docked for absence.

–IANS

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