Teachers Union opposes Centre’s PU move, to hold rally on Dec13

A second state convention of the 17th General Council of Government Teachers Union (GTU), Punjab, was organised at the Desh Bhagat Yadgar Hall, Jalandhar, on Saturday.

A resolution was unanimously passed during the meeting that the interference by Centre in the affairs of Panjab University, Chandigarh, should be stopped and Senate elections be held immediately. The State Committee of the GTU, Punjab, also decided that a state-level protest rally would be held in Anandpur Sahib, the constituency of the Education Minister Harjot Bains on December 13, to raise the demands made in a letter drafted during the convention.

Block presidents and district leaders of the GTU, participated in the session.

Among those who addressed the gathering were former leader of GTU, Punjab, Harkamal Singh; Punjab Subordinate Services Federation state president Satish Rana and general secretary Tirath Singh Bassi; Convener of Old Pension Scheme Restoration Jasvir Singh Talwara; former general secretary of GTU Kuldeep Singh Durka and state president of 4161 Union Gurmail Singh Kularia.

The leaders were welcomed by the state press secretary of the union, Karnail Phillaur.

A draft report was presented by general secretary Gurbinder Singh Saskaur, detailing the organisational activities of GTU, non-academic work taken from teachers in the Education Department and the challenges to come in future, as well as the growth of the organisation. Thirty five delegates from different districts across Punjab gave their suggestions on the report.

Members of the union demanded that the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 be cancelled and Punjab's own education policy be formulated; Old Pension Scheme be restored; computer teachers, meritorious teachers, contractual teachers, teachers of Adarsh schools, teachers with NSQF be brought into the Education Department and their services regularised; Central pay-scale be cancelled and the Punjab pay-scale be implemented; notification of the basic pay and appointment by the High Court be cancelled; anti-teacher employee amendments made in the service rules be cancelled; new posts be created according to the increased intake and recruitment be made to the vacant posts with full grade; 37 allowances that were cut including rural allowance be restored; remaining installments of DA be released; amount of Rs 2,400 being annually charged by the department in the name of tax, be refunded; higher grade given by the Pay Commission be implemented. A slew of other reforms and demands for schools and Education Department, were also raised vigorously.

Finally, on the basis of inputs received from those present, the final suggestions made by state president Sukhwinder Singh Chahal were unanimously passed and made part of the demand letter.

Among those present on the occasion were Amandeep Sharma, Tirath Singh Bassi, Kuldeep Purowal, Gurpreet Singh Amiwal, Manohar Lal Sharma, Gurdeep Singh Bajwa, Balwinder Bhutto, Ravinder Singh Pappi, Rajiv Handa, Karnail Phillaur, Judge Pal Singh Baje Ke, Pritpal Singh Chotala and Sucha Singh Tarpai, among others.