Contractual CDLU Asst Professors urge university to resolve pay issues

Contractual Assistant Professors at Chaudhary Devi Lal University (CDLU), Sirsa, have raised concerns over the ongoing delay in addressing pay issues, particularly regarding dearness allowances (DA) and arrears.

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Professors claimed that, despite having submitted a formal request on March 1, 2024, no action had been taken by the university administration for over a year.

They have now submitted another reminder to speed up the resolution of their concerns. Assistant Professors said they had been performing the same duties as their regular counterparts — teaching, evaluating exams, handling admissions and participating in university committees. However, they had only been receiving the basic pay (Rs 57,700) since January 28, 2021, without DA, grade pay or salary increments.

They said equal pay for equal work was their legal right, as guaranteed by Article 39(d) of the Constitution, and supported by the Supreme Court in the State of Punjab v Jagjit Singh (2016) case.

They also referred to a directive from the state government, stating that they were entitled to arrears from November 1, 2017.

The professors have urged the university to release pending arrears and revise pay package.

Dr Rakesh Saini, an Assistant Professor at CDLU, said, “We are committed to our work, but are facing financial difficulties due to delays in pay. We hope the university will address this issue soon.”

The faculty have sent their concerns to the Chief Secretary of Haryana, the Additional Chief Secretary for Higher Education, and the Vice-Chancellor of CDLU.

Meanwhile, CDLU Registrar Dr Rajesh Bansal claimed that the university was following the state government’s policy, and the guidelines set by the court in a particular case.

He said the university administration could not make changes on its own.

He said that the same pattern was being followed in all government universities in the state, and changes could only happen if the state government introduced a new policy.