GNDUTA members boycott official work, teaching for 3 hrs

Tribune News Service

Amritsar, November 8

On the call given by the Punjab Federation of University and College Teachers’ Organisation (PFUCTO), members of the Guru Nanak Dev University Teachers’ Association (GNDUTA) held a 3-hour strike by boycotting official work in protest against the state government’s callous attitude towards their legitimate demands.

The government teachers of five universities, 48 government colleges and 145 aided colleges were demanding the implementation of 7th CPC UGC pay scales retrospectively from January 2016.

The GNDUTA members ceased official and teaching work from 10am to 1pm in the university’s main campus, regional campuses and constituent colleges on Monday.

Prof Lakhwinder Singh, president of the association, said the University Grants Commission notified its regulation on August 2018 and were to be implemented from January 2016. These scales had been implemented throughout the country except in Punjab, Chandigarh and Himachal Pradesh.

Saini said since the notification, the teachers were striving hard to get these scales implemented, but the callous attitude of the state government continued till now. He said earlier the teachers held a dharna at university campuses from time to time while a chain hunger strike was started in September this year that continued for 45 days.

It was discontinued after Education Minister Pargat Singh agreed to take it up with the Chief Minister. Despite the Education Minister’s promise to implement the 7th UGC pay scales and non-delinking of teacher’s grades from UGC grades, no concrete steps were taken.

The PFUCTO, therefore, decided to resume the stir from today and a series of protests were planned for the month. Saini said the agitation would be intensified by holding candle marches, starting gherao of ministers and courting arrest if the Punjab Government failed to fulfil their demands.