College teachers go on strike,students get a monsoon break

The teachers-of both schools and colleges-marched to the district collectorate and staged demonstrations in front of the office. Teachers of professional colleges,including engineering and medical colleges,have kept away from the strike.

According to MFUCTO,the state government has passed on the benefits of the Sixth Pay Commission to all state government employees except college teachers. “The organisation held a meeting with the Higher and Technical Education Minister Rajesh Tope on June 5. He had promised to pass a government resolution about the implementation of Sixth Pay Commission in a month but has not fulfilled the promise,” said Atul Bagul,president of PUTA.

MFUCTO had held demonstrations across the state on June 15 and June 22 raising the same demand. On July 6,college teachers in the state had gone on mass leave.

Bagul said the strike would continue till the government assures immediate implementation of the Sixth Pay Commission for them.

Once the state government implements it,the central government gives 80 per cent financial aid to meet the additional salary burden. But the state government has to send a proposal to avail of this aid. The central government had asked all the state governments to send proposals for getting half of the aid before March 31.

MFUCTO has alleged that the Maharashtra government did not send the proposal; and hence the central government aid did not materialise,which in turn led to the non-implementation of the Sixth Pay Commission salary for college teachers.

Schoolteachers are also up in arms against the state government. Though the government has issued a GR regarding implementation of the Sixth Pay Commission payscales for them,schoolteachers allege that it was not as per central government guidelines. “We will wear black ribbons on August 4 to school; on August 11 we will hold demonstrations before offices of education officers across the state,” said Dnyaneshwar Bhange,vice-president of Maharashtra State Teachers’ Council.

No hiccups in admission
There will be no delay in the admission process to Class XI as junior college teachers are not involved in the strike,said executive chairman of the Class XI admission process in the city,D N Sheth. He said the process would continue as per schedule and there was no need to panic for those entering Class XI. Also,the strike will not affect engineering and medical admissions,as the teachers of professional colleges are not participating in the strike.