Punjabi University teachers protest over unpaid salaries

Members of the Punjabi University Teachers Association (PUTA) on Thursday boycotted classes and staged a protest outside the university gate against the non-disbursement of salaries. The demonstration continued till 4 pm, with teaching, non-teaching and Class IV staff raising slogans against the state government for failing to release their dues.

The protesting staff said the delay in salary payments had dampened the recent celebrations of Raksha Bandhan, Independence Day and Janmashtami, leaving them unable to buy gifts or exchange pleasantries with their families.

Addressing the protesters, PUTA president Dr Bhupinder Singh Virk said, “As you all are aware, more than half of the month has already passed but the University administration has still not released the salaries of teachers. PUTA met the Vice-Chancellor several times in this regard, but unfortunately, the matter was not resolved. We had already submitted a formal representation to the University administration, demanding the release of salaries by August 20, failing which we would be compelled to boycott classes from August 21.”