Chennai, July 05: In a dramatic end to the four-day-old strike, the Tamil Nadu government employees and teachers today decided to withdraw their indefinite strike with immediate effect. Representatives of the Joint Action Council of Tamil Nadu Teachers and Employees Organisation and Government Employees Organisation (JACTTEO-GEO) and Confederation of Teachers Associations and Government Employees Organisation (COTA-GEO), which spearheaded the agitation, gave an assurance to this effect to Mr Justice P D Dinakaran of Madras High Court, who was hearing a writ petition at a special sitting in his house.
In the petition, the employees had challenged the state government's ordinance, amending the Essential Services Maintenance Act (ESMA) providing for dismissal of the striking staff without any inquiry.
The two organisations, which launched the stir on July 2, however, were yet to make any formal announcement about the withdrawal of the strike

Meanwhile, the Madras High Court today asked the government to release forthwith all the government employees who were arrested in connection with the strike and report the matter to the court at 10.30 am tomorrow.
"The court further hopes that the government would take appropriate steps to withdraw all cases of suspensions and dismissals unconditionally and report the matter to the court at 2.15 pm on Monday,” Justice Dinakaran, said in his order tonight.
He passed the order when representatives of seven unions met him at the judge's residence on the petition filed by them, challenging yesterday's ordinance, which sought to amend certain provisions of ESMA. Bureau Report