COIMBATORE: TVK chief spokesperson C Mahendran on Saturday said eliminating corruption and bribery requires not only govt action but also active cooperation of its employees.Mahendran was speaking on the sidelines of the first coordinators’ meeting of the newly formed Tamil Nadu Officers and Teachers Vettri Sangam (Tamilaga Aluvalar Asiriyar Vetrichangam) for the Coimbatore region.The meeting brought together around 150 office staffers, teachers and workers serving as regional office-bearers in Coimbatore, Tirupur, Erode and Nilgiris districts. State president J Rajaniradhika, state principal secretary S Thiyagarasan, state general secretary Sundaravalavan and other office-bearers attended.Addressing reporters, Mahendran said the association had been formed to foreground the rights of govt employees, including officers, teachers and workers. He said the organisation aimed to help build a “people-centric govt” through coordinated efforts between the administration and employees.Mahendran highlighted long-standing concerns of marginalised categories of workers, including noon-meal staffers and sanitation workers, who have continued to work on low wages for years. He said minimum wages required for a dignified life should be ensured and wage disparities among govt employees must be addressed.He said several grievances faced by workers and the public do not reach govt’s attention directly and may get stalled at various administrative levels. The association’s key objective was to take such issues to govt and secure rightful entitlements for ordinary people and workers, he said.Citing govt initiatives, Mahendran said the state had created a “new precedent” by fixing a salary of Rs 35,000 for Tasmac employees who had worked for years without regular pay. The association would continue to press for wage hikes for noon-meal workers and rural staff, he added.The association’s membership spans from sub-collector-level officials to last-grade workers.
