Aided college staff in tight spot as two-month salary not paid

The festive season has begun, but teaching and non-teaching staff at government-aided degree colleges across the state are in a tight spot as they have not received their salaries for the past two months with the third month also nearing its end.

“There is growing resentment among 2,465 teaching and non-teaching employees of 97 government-aided colleges across the state as they have not received their salaries for July and August. September too is about to end. Many are being forced to borrow money just to meet basic needs. With the festive season underway, the situation is becoming increasingly difficult,” said Dayanand Malik, president of the Haryana Government Aided College Teachers’ Association.

He stated that the state government had already approved the budget for pay scales, gratuity and leave encashment during the Vidhan Sabha’s Budget session. The budget was also formally approved by the Governor and forwarded to the Finance Department for execution, he added.

“Despite all necessary approvals, the salaries are yet to be released. This delay consistently occurs at the level of the Finance Department. We urge the government to ensure immediate release of pending salaries and to implement a system where the entire annual budget is approved in one go to avoid such recurring issues,” Malik added.

Highlighting another long-pending concern, he said that principals, teaching and non-teaching staff appointed after January 1, 2006, across all 97 aided colleges, have not been paid gratuity.

“Even during the Covid pandemic, the families of six teachers who passed away were not paid gratuity. Meanwhile, employees appointed under the state government before January 1, 2006, continue to receive gratuity under the provisions of the Gratuity Act, 1972. This is a clear denial of our rightful dues despite a Supreme Court ruling that entitles any employee who has completed five years of continuous service to receive gratuity,” he claimed.

Malik maintained that they had also been waiting for revision of House Rent Allowance in accordance with the Seventh Pay Commission recommendations.

S Narayanan, Director General (Higher Education), told The Tribune that a technical glitch at the Finance Department’s end had caused the delay. However, he assured that the issue had now been resolved and the salaries would be released on the next working day.