"...THEY (the poor) have often worked not ten but twenty hours a day. Not that all the poor have rigidly worked twenty hours, but that the worth of the labour of twenty hours now, in food and clothing, is equivalent to the worth of ten hours then. And because twenty hours’ labour cannot, from the nature of the human frame, be exacted from those who before performed ten, the aged and the sickly are compelled either to work or starve. They eat less bread, wear worse clothes, are more ignorant, immoral, miserable, and desperate. This then is the condition of the lowest and largest class from whose labour the whole materials of life are wrought, of which the others are only the receivers or consumers." These are the words of one of the greatest poet Percy Bysshe Shelley in his detailed account of the economic reality of industrial England in “A Philosophical View of Reform”, a 200 years back. It may be modern world now. However, the words of Shelly also may be fit today. And this may be a reality in the state of Tamilnadu for the condition of the government transport workers. TNSTC, Tamilnadu State Transport Corporation, a big public sector corporation, is operating 22,300 vehicles from its depots covering 90.20 lakh km in all districts in the state, which services 2.20 crore passengers every month from its 8 regional headquarters. It is not a loss making industry, but a profit earning one with the tireless labour of the 1.4 lakh strong workforce. Day and night the workers of the public transport are working and serving the people as well as the government, even as many burdens are pressing them. In this background, an indefinite strike called by 11 trade unions including one of the largest unions, the DMK’s Labour Progressive Front (LPF), CITU and INTUC, has crippled the government bus service across Tamilnadu with almost 95 percent of the buses remaining off the roads for the past four days beginning on December 28. The state was witnessing a massive strike in the transport sector almost after 13 years. A majority of the employees have joined the protest seeking the implementation of wage revision pending from September 2013 and non-payment of other benefits, including bonus and pension, for several years. It may be remembered that the CAG, in its audit report in 2009, indicted that the all 8 divisions of the TNSTC collectively failed to liquidate the dues in respect of terminal benefits (Rs 969.99 crore) to the retired employees as they diverted the funds earmarked for these obligations towards their working capital needs. INTIMIDATION OF WORKERS Within hours after employees called off the services on December 28, the AIADMK government with its adamant and entirely negative attitude started intimidating workers. Police started a major crackdown and arrested thousands of workers across the state. More police forces had been deployed to intimidate striking employees from different bus terminals across the state. Out of more than 22,000 services a day, less than 1,000 services ran services on the first day of the strike. In Chennai city alone, over 2,000 bus services were cancelled. Meanwhile, ATP (Anna Tholirsanga Peravai) the trade union supported by ruling AIADMK announced that they will be working overtime to maintain the services, even though the workers affiliated to the particular union participated in the strike as an account of their conscience. To break the strike, not only the police, but the goons of the ruling party and even the MLAs, mayors and other functionaries of the AIADMK entered illegally into the bus depots in various districts and openly terrorised the employees. In some places including Madurai, some ministers of the AIADMK government too had indulged in these acts. Almost all district collectors directly went to the bus depots and threatened the workers who did not operate the buses. The TNSTC administration cunningly tried to utilise the casual workers to operate buses. But it did not succeed fully. However, the CITU state president A Soundararajan, MLA, said the strike will continue till the state government responds to their demands. "We will consider calling off the strike the moment the state invites us for talks. We regret the inconvenience caused to the public," he said. Also a CPI (M) Central Committee member, A Soundararajan hit out at the government saying "the government has opened the doors of jail rather than opening doors for conciliatory talks." "We waited for 15-long months for the state to steer efforts for a new wage pact", he added. He also condemned efforts by the government to unleash police and rowdies to break the strike and alleged attempts to divide the trade unions. M Shanmugham, leader of the LPF said the government was forcing its employees to go on a strike by ignoring their repeated efforts to discuss issues. MASSIVE SUPPORT Opposition parties too have extended their solidarity to the striking employees. Stating that the demands of employees were genuine and the government should arrive at an amicable settlement, DMK chief M Karunanidhi blamed the AIADMK government for failing to respond to the demands of workers at the right time. State Congress chief EVKS Elangovan and MDMK chief Vaiko have also sought immediate intervention from chief minister O Panneerselvam to end the strike considering the difficulties faced by passengers across the state. The CPI (M) announced that it would hold protests across Tamilnadu to extend support to striking transport workers. In a statement, CPI (M) state secretary G Ramakrishnan said the transport department was violating the rules by engaging inexperienced drivers. "It will only endanger the lives of the commuters," he said. He asked the state government to give up such wrong practices and resolve issues, including wage settlement, through talks with all trade union leaders. The CPI (M) accused the government of pursuing anti-labour policies. "Instead of holding talks with trade unions, the government and transport machinery are indulging in politics of revenge and vendetta. They engage the ruling party men, anti-socials and police to threaten and exert pressure on the workers to suppress the agitation," he said. In this situation, various organisations including TNGEA, COTEE (CITU) supported the strike of transport workers. Electricity employees had held a massive demonstration at Chennai. Across the state, the transport workers continued their demonstrations, picketing for the entire three days till the evening of December 30. Hit hard by the bus-less roads, the general public started to oppose the AIADMK government and felt that it should come forward to sit with the striking workers. There was a general trend in support of the strike. People blamed the government. TALKS HELD In this situation, on the evening of December 30, the government accepted to talk with the leaders of all 12 unions of transport workers including the one, ATP, the union of ruling party. On December 31, a meeting between transport minister V Senthil Balaji and leaders of the unions at secretariat had taken place. The meeting lasted nearly 45 minutes. The government has agreed to constitute a committee to hold negotiations on wage revision with representatives of the unions. The talks would be held in the presence of the transport minister. The panel would include managing directors of all the eight regional divisions of the TNSTC. "The Minister has assured us that a panel representing the government side will be set up in a day or two for holding talks with us," CITU leader A Soundararajan said, emerging from the meeting. "The strike is withdrawn immediately," he said. As soon as the panel was set up, trade union functionaries would submit their representation and negotiate with them, Soundararajan said. The minister also assured trade union leaders that withdrawal of cases against employees who were on strike would be "positively" considered and disciplinary action dropped, the CITU leader said. Following the decision, employees have begun reporting for work at the depots of the eight transport corporations across the state, he said.