Stir over pay cut for job regularisation

Divya Sharma

Tribune News Service

Amritsar, October 16

A massive protest was organised by teachers under the banner of Sanjha Adhyapak Morcha on late Tuesday evening. A number of teachers protested in a park near the residence of School Education Minister OP Soni.

The teachers are protesting against the government’s offer of regularising the services of teachers with a pay cut. Ashwini Awasthi, leader, Sanjha Adhyapak Morcha, said, “This is our answer to School Education Minister OP Soni, who is advising us not to protest. We are holding the agitation near his house. This is a peaceful protest. We do not want to trouble residents.” 

The teachers were also present with their children and raised slogans against the minister. Teachers from Amritsar, Jalandhar, Hoshiarpur, Gurdaspur, Pathankot and Tarn Taran took part in the protest. 

Before the protest, teachers held a press conference in which they lambasted the claims of OP Soni that leaders of the union had agreed upon the government’s job regularisation offer with a pay cut. “We never agreed upon regularisation with a pay cut. The point of pay protection was raised aggressively by all of us. The government had also assured us, but now it is spreading a lie,” said Davinder Singh Punia, convener, Democratic Teachers’ Front.

Sukhjinder Singh Chahal, state convener, Government Teachers Union, said, “The state government’s threat of suspension and transfer is shameful. This is a disrespect to the teaching community.”

Balkar Singh Valtoha, state president, Government School Teachers Union, said, “We have never agreed to such a move. We will relent only if our demands are met.”