THE death of Com R Muthu Sundaram, veteran leader of the state government employees’  movement on August 29 was condoled by lakhs of government employees, teachers and other working class sections not only in Tamil Nadu, but also across India.

Com Muthu Sundaram worked steadfastly for the welfare of the government  employees  and working class of Tamil Nadu and later extended it to all over India.

He was one of the state secretaries of the Tamil Nadu Government Employees Association at a young age of 32. He was elected as the general secretary of the TNGEA in the year 2002 and worked as an outstanding leader of the movement and earned the love and respect of every employee in the state. His capacity to lead the employees was proved beyond doubt. In 2003, when the Tamil Nadu government employees went on an indefinite strike, they were dismissed enmasse by the then Jayalalitha government. The struggle to defeat the nefarious designs of the state government proved his organising skills and the mettle of employees beyond doubt.

      In 2009, he was elected as general secretary of the All India State Government Employees Federation at its national conference held in Trivandrum. Despite his poor health, he visited every nook and corner of India to organise the employees in various states.

      Though his health condition deteriorated he travelled in train to nine states and organised employees for the success of September 2, 2016 all India strike. He was a distinguished orator not only in Tamil and English but also in different languages.

Throughout his life, he was a man of integrity and honesty. Till his death, he lived in a rented house. He was a fighter to the core and a great leader of the working class movement. His services will be remembered for ever by one and all.

      Lakhs of his followers and various leaders at the state and national level condoled the death of Com. RMS. A large gathering of state government employees, other trade union leaders and the members of executive council of AISGEF paid homage to him at the TNGEA headquarters in Chennai and thereafter, his mortal remains were taken in a procession and handed over to the authorities of the Madras Medical College for research as per his last wishes. In the end too, as a noble gesture, he has assured that even his mortal remains would be put to use for the society’s good.