SHIMLA: January 7 All-Himachal Pradesh Government University and College Teachers Joint Action Committee today ventilated their anger against the government over the implementation of the much-delayed 7th pay scales to the universities and colleges. The new pay scales will ramp up their service conditions and bring all teachers on board for the effective implementation of National Education Policy (NEP)-2020 in the state, the teachers asserted.
It is for the time in the history of Himachal Pradesh that all associations of all government universities and college teachers came on a single virtual platform and constituted the joint action committee here today, ventilating their grievance over delay of four years in implementation of 7th UGC pay scales in the state.
The government is under pressure on this issue ahead of the state assembly polls this year as a massive pressure group of over 2920 teachers teaching in 132 government colleges, eight Sanskrit government colleges, five government-aided colleges, three government-run universities in the state have decided to take to the streets to take government head-on if their demand is not implemented.
The committee resolved that it is a matter of concern that Himachal has not implemented the 7th UGC pay scales notified in January 2018. All the states including BJP-ruled states have already implemented this scale, the committee retorted.
The resolution to this effect was passed in a virtual meeting hold today by the presidents and general secretaries of different associations of organizations of universities and colleges- HPUTWA, HPUTA, HPGCTA, HPAUTA, UHFTA, HPMSS and HPNGCTA.
The spokespersons of joint action committee, Dr.R.L.Sharma, who is also general secretary, HPGCTA and Dr Joginder Saklani, general secretary, HPUTWA stated that if the government failed to implement the UGC new pay scale for the colleges and universities, they would be forced to take to a collusive course of action to seek justice for them.
They said the state government should take immediate decision in this regard as it is already giving new pay scales to its employees from January, 2016. The universities and colleges teachers have to break their silence as the state government, it seems, has forgotten to notify the 7th UGC scales to universities and colleges in the state, which already has been delayed for four years.
The joint action committee has urged Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur and Education Minister Govind Singh Thakur to redress their grievance at the earliest as it is a sad reflection on state of affairs.
The committee also decided in the meeting that a delegation of joint action committee will meet Chief Minister and Education Minister on this issue to apprise them about the four years long delay in implementation of the new pay scales for college and universities teachers to seek their intervention to get justice for them.
They further clarify that UGC pay commission is an independent pay commission for university and college teachers and it has nothing to do with other state employees. Since there are vacations in almost all the institutions till first week of February, the joint action committee will take this issue at different platforms through persuasion.
The committee also decided that if the issue is not resolved amicably by the state, they will be forced to take to some corrosive measures to get justice for them. “We are hopeful that the state leadership will resolve this issue amicably”, spokespersons said.
The committee reminded the state government saying that since the NEP- 2020, an ambitious education policy is being implemented nationwide, the state government must bring all stakeholders on board by improving their service conditions so that the policy sees the light of the day in state.
(Kuldeep Chauhan is Editor, HimbuMail)
