CUDDALORE: Members of the Joint Action Committee (JAC) of the Annamalai University's teachers, employees and pensioners associations began an indefinite sit-in protest on the university campus at Annamalainagar in Chidambaram on Tuesday, demanding immediate settlement of pending dues.
Earlier, under the banner of the JAC, teachers, employees and pensioners held a hunger strike on January 22 to press their demands. As there was no response, teachers and employees decided to boycott work and participated in the sit-in protest from Tuesday.
The demands include immediate grant of promotions, payment of monetary benefits and arrears under the Seventh Pay Commission to teachers and employees, regularisation of NMR and consolidated pay for staff who have not been regularised for the past 15 years, and disbursement of monthly pensions, which have not been paid to pensioners for the past 14 months.
The members also sought settlement of retirement benefits, including commutation, earned leave surrender amounts and gratuity, which have not been fully paid even years after retirement.
Addressing the protesters, Prof C Subramaniyan, JAC coordinator, said, “We are demanding immediate implementation of promotions, Seventh Pay Commission benefits and payment of long-pending pensions and retirement dues. As there has been no action, we have been forced to intensify the protest.”
As a large number of professors, assistant professors and employees boycotted work and joined the sit-in protest, police personnel from Annamalai Nagar were also deployed on the campus. Joint coordinators A Ravi, Prof Ilango, Madhiyazhagan and Kapiladev were present.