Newmai News Network
Imphal | January 30
Striking college teachers on Thursday threatened to intensify their ongoing strike demanding adoption of 7th University Grants Commission (UGC) Pay and Regulations 2018.
Teachers of government colleges were staging a series of sit-in-protest commencing from January 28 after the state government failed to address their demands within January 27 deadline set by Federation of Government College Teachers’ Association (FEGOCTA).
The sit-in-protest was being staging by shifting the venue and today, they staged the protest at Manipur College, Imphal.
Taking part in the protest, FEGOCTA president A Pishak strongly condemned the government while alleging that their ‘agreed demands’ are yet to be translated into work.
He said that teachers of government colleges in other states of the country had already started enjoying the pay structures recommended by the Central Pay Commission since 2016 with all admission arrears from the same year
However, despite repeated requests by the teachers of colleges, the state government remained adamant to implement the same pay structures.
Besides, college teachers were left behind when the order revising pay structures of employees was issued by the state government, agreeing to the adoption of the pay structures recommended by the 7th Pay Commission.
He reminded that when teachers of the colleges under the aegis of FEGOCTA launched agitation in September last, the state government had agreed to adopt the 7th University Grants Commission (UGC) Pay and Regulations 2018.
However, the state government failed to translate the agreed demand, he said, and appealed the government to address their demands at the earliest.
The president added that launching strike by the teachers is not only affecting the academic atmosphere of the students but also to the image of the teachers.
Considering the academic atmosphere in particularly, the teachers have been refraining from resorting to strikes and agitations.
However, “if the state government continues to remain in deaf mute, we will be compelled to launch intense forms of agitations in the interest of our rights,” the president warned.
FEGOCTA has been pressing the state government to adopt 7th University Grants Commission (UGC) Pay and Regulations 2018 which had already affected in some other states of the country.
To fulfil their demand, FEGOCTA had in the pass resorted to strike like taking mass casual leaves, cease-work strike and boycotting exams etc.
However, they have to suspend their strikes after talks with government authorities.
The latest cease-work strike of the teachers in November 2019 was also suspended after state education minister assured them to take up necessary steps to fulfil their demands during a talk.
After the latest assurance, a proposal for adoption of 7th University Grants Commission (UGC) Pay and Regulations 2018 was tabled in a cabinet meeting and agreed to adopt the same in-principle.
However, necessary order regarding adoption of the same was yet to be issued from the government side, FEGOCTA president alleged.
The inaction on the part of the government to address the demands has compelled the teachers to launch strike once again, he alleged.
“This time, we will not retreat until and unless government issues necessary order implementing our agreed demands, Pishak declared.
