PATNA: The joint action committee (JAC) of Futab and Fustab is still skeptical about proper implementation of the cabinet decision on revised UGC pay scales to university and college teachers.
Consequently, the leadership of the two organizations have reiterated their earlier decision to observe “Betrayal Day” on July 5 and go on an indefinite strike from July 8 as per their original programme.
At a meeting held here on Thursday, the JAC observed that the cabinet decision was aimed at defusing the seriousness of the proposed indefinite strike from July 8 following failure of talks with the government on June 25. The meeting expressed surprise as to how the matter could go to the cabinet within few days when the government had demanded one month additional time for its implementation.
The cabinet secretary’s statement that the government has accepted the pay proposal only in principle and that details were still awaited unfolds the real intention of the government, the JAC said. The teachers won’t be misguided by this step, the JAC leaders said.
The meeting recalled that on June 25, the HRD minister and his officials agreed with the teachers’ delegation that the orders issued by the HRD on pay cuts, demotions, recovery, implementation of court orders, withholding of grants and non-payment of salaries deserve review both in terms of legality and restoration of goodwill created by the April 5 agreement.
The meeting decided that unless all the issues related to the teachers’ genuine entitlements on January 1, 1996 are settled and HRD’s controversial and humiliating orders are withdrawn, the agitational programme chalked out by the joint action committee would go on as scheduled.
Those who attended the meeting included Arun Kumar, MLC, Ram Jatan Sinha, Kanhaiya Bahadur Sinha, Sanjay Kumar Singh, Dilip Choudhury, A K Thakur, Muneshwar Singh and Vijendra Prasad Singh.
Meanwhile, welcoming the cabinet decision regarding implementation of revised UGC scales, Patna University Retired Teachers Association (Purta) hoped that the state government would immediately issue a circular to this effect, including those for the retired teachers.
Purta president B V N Sinha and general secretary S K Ganguli said that the UGC guidelines to the state government make it obligatory for simultaneous revision of pension.