University and college teachers go on one-day hunger strike

[sajiv]

University and college teachers go on one-day hunger strike

MADURAI: Hundreds of college and university teachers went on a one-day hunger strike on Saturday demanding the State Government to immediately implement the revised pay scale as recommended by the Sixth Pay Commission.

They sat on hunger strike at Kaalavasal in the city under the aegis of Joint Action Council of three teachers associations –Association of University Teachers, Tamil Nadu Government College Teachers Association, Madurai Kamaraj, Manonmaniam Sundaranar, Mother Teresa and Alagappa University Teachers' Association (MUTA).

N.Thenpandian, MUTA Zonal Secretary, who addressed the teachers, said that the State Government must implement the revised pay scale with effect from January, 2006 and that the arrears should be paid for university and college teachers in one instalment.

Retirement age
The teachers' associations also demanded that the retirement age of college teachers must be fixed at 60 years as similar to that of university teaching staff.

Members of the Joint Action Council further demanded the State Government to drop the idea of going ahead with the Private Universities and Unitary Universities Bill.

Rally next
As a next step of State-wide protest, the associations have announced that a rally will be taken out in Chennai on August 13 with participation of teachers from all over the State. Manohara Jestus, treasurer, MUTA, gave the concluding address at the end of the hunger strike.