Pro-Left staff unions in State’s universities have objected to a government order in January that directed them to set up their own pension funds.
Right now, pension and other expenses are met from the non-plan grant given by the government. According to functionaries of the Confederation of University Employees Organisations Kerala, the universities have been asked to issue a notification on setting up the funds which would be valid from the day these institutions became functional. Pension expenses would have to be met from this fund alone from now on. The universities should zero in on the maximum pay scale given to teachers and staff in various posts and deposit 25% of that amount every month to the fund. Ten per cent of the amount would be the annual government grant-in aid and 15% would have to be taken from the universities’ own funds.
The pension fund would also be used to meet the monthly National Pension Scheme contributions, terminal surrender, commutation, dearness allowance arrears, etc.
V.S. Nikhil, president of the Calicut University Employees’ Union affiliated to the confederation, said on Tuesday that there was a big gap between the revenue and expenses of universities at present.
At a time when the universities were awaiting government aid to meet various expenses, they would find it difficult to follow the latest order. The union functionaries claimed that the non-plan was not enough for the various needs. As new universities are coming up, the revenue source of existing ones deplete. Though the government had clarified that the universities can borrow from cooperative institutions and financial firms to meet the above expenses, it was not practical. One of the options before the universities to increase revenue would be to increase the student fees, they added.
A protest event was held on Tuesday on the university campus to raise the grievances of the employees. Vinod N. Neekkampurath, vice-president of the confederation, opened it.
