Chennai, January 10: After a 7-day bus strike in Tamil Nadu, the Madras High Court on Wednesday urged the protesting Transport unions to resume work immediately stating that the protest was causing inconvenience to the common man. The Madras High Court has also urged the Tamil Nadu government to immediately implement the wage hike of 2.44%.

The High Court reiterated that no inconvenience should be caused to public during the festive season of Pongal which is just around the corner. As many as 17 trade unions had launched an indefinite protest across Tamil Nadu since Thursday. Scores of Tamil Nadu State Transport Corporation (TNSTC) staff joined the protest, crippling normal life in the state.  The protesters were reported to have caused inconvenience to the people ahead of the festive season as state-run buses play a major role in transporting hundreds of thousands daily.

Reports stated that nearly 60,000 TNSTC employees had been abstaining from work on 5 and 6 January.  The protest was called against authorities as they refused to accept the demands of the striking employees who have been seeking higher wages.

Earlier on Wednesday, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister CM Edappadi K.Palanisamy appealed the transport unions to withdraw strike and report to work immediately. Meanwhile, Tamil Nadu Transport Minister M.R. Vijayabhaskar announced special buses for Pongal but commuters said this looked like a promise only on paper.  The striking workers again turned down a plea of the Minister to resume work.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jan 10, 2018 05:46 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).