YAVATMAL :-- Teachers' mass casual leave stir

The teaching fraternity of non-agricultural colleges and universities will go on an indefinite no-work strike from July 14 if their
long pending demands are not fulfilled by the state government.

"Over 7,000 school teachers
of various unions in the district will also join the statewide mass casual leave (CL) agitation on July 14. A protest rally willl be taken to the district collector's office to stress their demand for rectifying the lacunae in the Dr Hakim's Commission Recommendation," informed the president of Primary School Teachers' Union Rajudas Jadhav.

District president of the NUTA (Nagpur University Teachers Association) and vice-president of Maharashtra Federation of University and College Teachers Organisations (MFUCTO), Prof. Shankarrao Sangale, said, "Our state body in the executive meeting held at Mumbai recently, had unanimously resolved to launch an indefinite cease work agitation from July 14 if the state government failed to concede to our long pending demands."

"In fact, we had launched our agitation on June 15 by organising demonstrations at the offices of all the joint directors of higher education. The state had rejected our union's request for a meeting to negotiate and find solutions to the long pending problems which are affecting thousands of teachers in the state," said Prof Sangale adding , "Aagitation was being carried out on different stages."

"On June 22, we had staged an one-day dharna outside the offices of the district collectors followed by one-day mass casual leave on July 6. We submitted our charter of demands to the concerned authorities which include the implementation of the sixth pay commission report along with the recommendations of the UGC appointed equivalent committee," said Prof. Sangale and added, "In a sense the state government is forcing the teaching fraternity to come on to the streets and intensify their agitation."

"If a settlement with the state government is not reached before the deadline, we will go ahead with the indefinite cease work agitation from Tuesday and 700 more senior college teachers across the district would join the strike. The teaching activates in all the non-agricultural universities and colleges affiliated to them in the state would be jeopardised," Prof. Sangale further said and expressed deep concern over the government's adamant anti-teacher attitude. He informed that the central government has expressed its readiness to bear 80% of the total financial burden arising out of the implementation of the sixth pay commission recommendations.
Coordinator of school teachers' confederation Rajendra Raut has urged the school teachers across the district to assemble at the zilla parishad administrative office premises after submitting the application to their immediate boss for one day casual leave to join the protest rally scheduled to be taken out to the district collectorate at 1 pm on July 14.