College teachers to join protests over unfulfilled 7th pay panel recommendations

On the call of the Punjab and Chandigarh College Teachers’ Union (PCCTU), the PCCTU unit of DAV College and other colleges in Amritsar will join protests against the government over the delay in implementing the Seventh Pay Commission report and other demands. Teachers from across the state will stage a protest tomorrow at the DPI office in Mohali. This has been a long-pending demand of the college and university teachers’ organization as they rue Punjab is the only state which is not giving the wages as per the 7th Pay Commission report.

PCCTU unit president (DAV College) Prof Vikas Bhardwaj said due to anti-student and anti-teacher policies of the government, there was resentment among college teachers. He said though the entire process regarding the implementation of the commission’s recommendations had been adopted, teachers were not being paid increased salaries.

PCCTU unit secretary Prof Ashu Vij said such a policy of evasion showed the anti-education mentality of the government. “The state government has continued such an authoritarian behaviour towards the demands of the teachers in higher education institutions.”

The protest, as shared by unit heads, is a way of

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resentment against the recent developments in the New Education Policy (NEP), and other academic issues that, according to the teachers, had impacted the teaching community.

Throughout the last year, college and university teachers have been carrying out multiple protests and dharnas against several unmet demands, including the pending funds under grants-in aid scheme to colleges, 7th pay commission wages, principal recruitments and other policies. Two week ago, the PCCTU units across the state had observed a peaceful sit-in protest across all colleges, which now, their members say, will be out on streets.