Tamil Nadu Government employees and teachers on Wednesday began an indefinite strike demanding restoration of curtailed benefits, undeterred by the government threat to arrest and dismiss those participating in the stir under the Essential Services Maintenance Act.

Reports said attendance in government offices was 'very thin' and work has 'almost come to a standstill' in district collectorates and taluk offices.

Official sources, however, said attendance would improve during the day and expressed confidence that normalcy would prevail.

The Federation of Joint Action Council of Teachers Associations and Government Employees Organisations (JACTO-JEO) and Confederation of Teachers Associations and Government Employees Associations (COTA-JEO) have given the call for the strike.

The Federation represents over 85 per cent of the government staff numbering over 1.2 million.

There are over 300 government employees associations, the major being, the Tamil Nadu Government Employees Union and the Tamil Nadu Government Employees Association.

Over 100 leaders of the agitating associations have been arrested in the last two days under the provisions of ESMA.

Those arrested included G Suryamurthy, president of the Tamil Nadu Government Employees Union, R L Sridharan, president, Tamil Nadu Government Employees Association, G Pandurangan, president, Tamil Nadu Secretariat Employees Associations and M R Appan, president Federation of All India State Government Employees Unions.