Many employees of the Gorkhaland Territorial Administration (GTA), who have been for years demanding permanent jobs, joined Trinamul on Monday by de-affiliating themselves from the Binay Tamang faction of the Gorkha Janmukti Morcha.

Both Bimal Gurung and Tamang factions of the Gorkha Janmukti Morcha are now allies of Trinamul.

The switch-over started on Saturday, when most GTA employees from Kalimpong decided to join Trinamul. On Monday a similar event was seen in Darjeeling.

Anil Rai, president, United Employees Union (UEU), which was affiliated to Binay Tamang camp of Gorkha Janmukti Morcha, had earlier said they would remain independent. He, however, rolled out a different logic on Monday. “Why should we detour instead of taking a straight route? We will support chief minister Mamata Banerjee as she is the one who can solve our problem,” said Rai.

There are 4,565 pay-band employees in GTA, which constitute nearly 90 per cent of the workforce in the hill body. Some have been working for more than 30 years. Many have served under Gurung’s GTA, and under Tamang, the former GTA head who has now been replaced by Anit Thapa.

Calcutta High Court had directed the state government in June 2015 to convene a meeting with GTA in four months to decide how it would set in motion the process of absorbing these employees in permanent posts, but there was not much progress.

N.B. Khawash, coordinator, TMC (hills), said: I think willpower…was lacking (from hill parties to solve the issue).”