Chandigarh 15.12.11: With the staff of non-govt. aided colleges across Punjab and Chandigarh on a 72 hour Education Bandh, work in the seven non-govt. aided colleges of Chandigarh also remained paralysed. The staff of all the colleges of Chandigarh participated in a Dharna in the D.A.V. College, Chandigarh.
The Joint Action Committee, comprising of the associations of the managements, principals, teachers and non-teaching staff of these colleges had given the call for this stay-in-strike to express its deep dissatisfaction at the Punjab Govt. for its discriminatory behavior towards them.
Dr. Ashok Nanda, the officiating principal of the college addressing the rally said, ‘The staff is agitating because even after many years of promises, the Punjab government had failed to implement the already notified Pension-Gratuity Act of 1999. Punjab is the only state not to grant any pension to the employees of the aided colleges. It is most distressing that the staff is forced to agitate for the implementation of long accepted demands.’
Prof. Ghanshyam Dev, President, Chandigarh District Council of the PCCTU said, ‘The Akali-BJP Council of Ministers under CM Parkash Singh Badal on Dec 12, 2001 finally approved the scheme for pension and gratuity benefits for the staff of aided colleges on par with their counterparts in government colleges as per the Act of 1999. The Akali-BJP Government had again promised in its election manifesto in 2007 that pension will be granted to the college staff. However, they had failed to do so."
Shri Raj Kumar, General Secretary of the Aided Colleges Non-Teaching Employees’ Federation said, ‘The treatment being meted out to the non-teaching employees of the colleges was shocking because they are perhaps the only cadre of employees in Chandigarh, yet to get the benefit of revised pay-scales from 1.1.2006. Since the policy clearly stated that non-teaching employees had parity with their counterparts in Govt. colleges, the foul play on this front was condemnable.’ He demanded release of pay scale arrears on the pattern of Govt. employees immediately.
Speaking at the rally Prof. Dinesh Talwar, Senator of the P.U. said, ‘The whole responsibility for the disturbance of the session rests with the Punjab Government. The staff have been forced to come on the roads as the government is not showing any urgency to address the issue.’
Other speakers also condemned the attitude of the Government and urged the Chief Minister of Punjab to immediately implement the pension and gratuity act.
