Invoking the Essential Services Maintenance Act, the Tamil Nadu government dismissed thousands of employees and teachers, as the strike entered the fourth day on Saturday.

The Joint Action Council claimed that nearly 100,000 employees had been dismissed, but the exact number could not be confirmed.

Notices containing the names of the dismissed personnel were pasted on the doors of several departments. Nearly 10,000 workers were dismissed in Chennai.

Police sources said a little over 2,200 employees had been arrested in the past three days for 'inciting' their colleagues who wanted to resume work.

Meanwhile, a press release from the Secretariat Employees Association said the strike would continue till the government conceded to their demands.

"We strongly condemn the government's action of resorting to midnight arrest of employees, including women. This is nothing, but a mini-Emergency," the release said.

The strike will be intensified from Monday, when all the 1.2 million employees, along with their family members, will participate in statewide demonstrations, it said.

Meanwhile, the general secretary of the Central Government Employees Mahasammelan, M Duraipandiyan, said in a statement that the central government workers in Chennai would hold demonstrations in front of a post office in Chennai on July 7 to extend moral support to the state counterparts.

All India Congress Committee secretary G K Vasan said that the government should hold talks with the employees to find a solution to their problems.

'The large-scale dismissal and midnight arrests expose the anti-labour policy' being pursued by the government, he said.