Teachers in colleges and universities across Punjab and Chandigarh continued with their ‘total education bandh’ (shutdown) for the tenth day on Friday even as teachers at Panjab University in Chandigarh staged demonstration as a mark of their protest over the non-implementation of the recommendations of the Seventh Pay Commission of the University Grants Commission (UGC) by Punjab Government.
In Punjab and Chandigarh, teachers have been observing ‘total education bandh’ since December 1 over the non-implementation of the recommendations of the Seventh Pay Commission of the University Grants Commission (UGC) and the decision of de-linking of teachers’ grades from UGC pay scales. Teachers have been abstaining from work as a part of the protest.
Under the banner of Punjab Federation of University and College Teachers Organizations, the members of Panjab University Teachers Association (PUTA) assembled near gate number 2 of the Panjab University and staged a sit-in protest and held demonstration against the Punjab Government for the undue delay in the implementation of revised pay scales as per the recommendation of Seventh UGC Pay Commission.
The agitated teachers shouted slogans against the Punjab Government, demanding that the revised pay scales should be implemented without any further delay, and urged the teachers in all colleges and universities across Punjab and Chandigarh to continue to observe ‘total education bandh’ till the demands are met. PUTA president Mritunjay Kumar said that Government on one pretext or the other has been putting the implementation of revised pay scales on the back-burner. “Despite accepting the legitimacy of the demands, Punjab Government develops cold feet each time and sets new date for the implementation of the pay-scales,” he said.
PUTA secretary A.S. Naura warned against the recent move of Punjab Government to de-link teaching position from UGC pay scales and said that such a move shall have deeper implications, and would reduce the teachers into bonded laborers. He hit out at Punjab Government for its failure to issue notification for the adoption of the seventh UGC pay scale, even though it has been implemented in all other states of the country a long time back.
The Bharatiya Janta Party (Punjab) has extended its support to the struggling teachers of Punjab and Chandigarh in their fight for the implementation of UGC pay-scales and also expressed its displeasure at the decision of the Punjab Government to de-link teachers’ pay scales from the nationally accepted UGC pay scales.
Vineet Joshi, BJP leader and spokesperson (Punjab) termed the delay in the notification of teachers’ pay scales as completely unjustifiable. “All other states had implemented the new UGC pay scales for their teachers. The teachers of Punjab and Chandigarh were the only ones still awaiting the implementation of the UGC pay-scales,” he said.
