7th UGC pay scale: Varsities, colleges to observe bandh from Dec 1 in Punjab

Lovleen Bains

Doraha, November 26

A complete bandh will be observed from December 1 in all universities and colleges of the state in protest against the state government over the non-implementation of the revised 7th UGC pay scale. The PFUCTO and PCCTU have decided to intensify their protest with teachers going for court arrest on November 30, followed by an indefinite hunger strike on December 1 along with complete bandh till their demands are accepted.

The UGC pay scales revised by the Central Government in November 2017 have been implemented across the country, except the state. As a result, teachers of Chandigarh and Himachal Pradesh are also not getting revised pay scales as they adopt the notification of Punjab Government.

District president of the PCCTU Prof Kuldip Batta said the PFUCTO and PCCTU had taken a bold decision to court arrest at Chandigarh in protest against the state government’s inordinate delay in implementing the revised 7th UGC pay panel. Punjab was yet to implement the same due to which teachers of Punjab, Chandigarh and Himachal Pradesh had been adversely affected.

“Another anti-higher education decision of the state government is to delink the pay scales of new assistant professors from the UGC 7th CPC pay scale. This step will result in cutting Punjab off from the mainstream of the National Higher Education System. Additionally, it will have serious repercussions on higher education in Chandigarh and Himachal Pradesh as they follow the service conditions, regulations and pay scales of Punjab,” the district president said.

PCCTU president Vinay Sophat said it was a sorry state of affairs. The teachers’ community which should be given its due rights in an appropriate and timely manner was every time forced to protest and fight.

“The teachers are frustrated and disgruntled over the anti-teacher attitude of the government,” he added.

Dr Jagwant Singh, general secretary, PFUCTO, said: “The state government’s decision to delink the UGC pay scales is an assault on young teachers and it will eventually marginalise teachers of Punjab from the national mainstream. An indefinite fast by a group of teachers, led by PFUCTO president Prof HS Kingra, will begin on December 1 and total education bandh of all academic programmes thereon.”