Teachers protest stopping of rural allowance, other incentives

Tribune News Service

Amritsar, December 14

The Democratic Teachers’ Front (DTF), an umbrella organisation comprising multiple school teacher unions, on Tuesday held protests against the Punjab Government’s decision to withhold rural area allowance.

Terming it anti-employee, members of the DTF, including Vikram Dev Singh, state president, and others, said the decision would deprive thousands of teachers serving in rural areas of financial incentives. “It will also have an impact on the wages recommended under the Sixth Pay Commission payable to the direct recruits after December 31, 2015. It’s deprivation of all benefits of the commission and is another example of how the government cares two hoots about teacher welfare,” said Vikram Dev Singh.

Ashwani Awasthi, district president of the front, appealed to all the teachers of Punjab to be part of the state rally to be held on December 19 in Kharar under the banner of Punjab UT Employees and Pensioners United Front. The protesting teachers also burnt the copies of letters issued by the department to notify these changes.

“Our Chief Minister and Finance Minister Manpreet Badal claimed that they would ensure all benefits under sixth pay commission to employees. Acting in contradiction, they have now shown their indifference towards employees working in rural Punjab. Teachers, who have been posted in rural schools, miles away from their homes, have been surviving on bare minimum. Adding to their financial woes, the government now wants to discontinue incentives. Similarly taking another fatal decision, no arrears and benefits will be given to those serving probation period. We demand to provide full pay scales and allowances during probationary period under probationary period Act-2015, to provide pay scales of Punjab to employees recruited after 17th July 2020, to abolish the new pension system and restore the old pension system,” said Awasthi.

He said the Punjab Government had consistently refused to make decisions on giving higher pay grade to all the employees in service for more than 14 years, border area allowance, Handicap Travel Allowance, Special Teacher Allowance, Experimental Allowance and 37 other types of allowances.

Teachers lodge protest in Tarn Taran

Teachers of several government schools across the district, under the banner of different teacher organisations, lodged a protest here on Tuesday against stopping of allowances given to them since decades. The protesting teachers burnt the photocopies of the notification released by the state government in this regard.

Prabhjot Singh, Manjinder Singh Dhillon, Baldev Singh, Sarabjit Kaur, Prabhjot kaur, Kuljit Kaur and other leaders of different teacher organisations said the state government had stopped several allowances, which had been given to them and other employees since decades.

The teacher leaders warned that they would intensify their agitation against the state government. The leaders appealed the state government to give a second thought to it. — OC

College teachers’ strike enters 14th day

The college and university teachers' strike has entered the 14th day in protest against non-receipt of the 7th Pay Commission. Teaching staff members of various colleges of the city have been on strike for the last two weeks. University exams are on the brink of being postponed whereas several colleges have already postponed their internal examinations. Dr BB Yadav, GNDU area in-charge, PFUCTO, informed that they were waiting for the decision in a cabinet meeting as government representatives have assured of a solution to this matter. The teachers have warned that their strike will continue till their demand is met.