(1.) Petitioner Union has filed this Writ Petition praying to issue a Writ of Mandamus forbearing the respondents from applying the provisions of G.O. Ms.No.119, Rural Development (E -5) Department dated 10.5.2000 for reducing the pay of the members of the petitioner Union.
(2.) In the affidavit filed in support of the writ petition, the petitioner would submit that the petitioner Union is a registered Trade Union consisting of 20 members, who are working as Part -time sweepers in the second respondent panchayat and they were drawing a consolidated monthly pay of Rs.666/ - till May 2000; that they were allowed the said pay before 31.8.1998; that while so, the first respondent has circulated the impugned G.O. dated 10.5.2000 to all the panchayat presidents for taking appropriate action stating that the sanitary workers and the pump operators of village panchayats, who have filed cases in the High Court contending that G.O. Ms. No.191 Finance Department dated 29.4.1998 would also apply to them, should be continued to be paid the pay drawn by them before 31.8.1998 until further orders and that in respect of others, the pay should be given as per para. No.4 of the impugned G.O. Dated 10.5.2000.
(3.) The petitioner Union would further submit that in para. No.4 of the said G.O., it has been stated that the part -time Pump Operators should be paid a consolidated pay of Rs.400/= and Rs.150/= for maintenance of every additional pump; that nothing has been mentioned about the payment of salary to the part -time Sweepers; but however, the part -time Sweepers, who were drawing a pay of Rs.666/= p.m. till 31.5.2000 have been orally informed that they would be paid only Rs.350/= p.m. From June 2000; that no written order or communication was given to them; that they were paid only a sum of Rs.350/= for the month of June 2000; that since their pay was reduced from Rs.666/= to Rs.350/= without any notice, they have not received their pay from June 2000; that the petitioner Union represented the matter to the Collector, Dharmapuri stating that the impugned G.O. applies only to the Pump Operators thereby requesting to taking action to continue to pay the existing pay drawn by them; but however, no action has been taken on the said representation. Hence the writ petition.