THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: While the tussle between the governor-appointed vice-chancellor and the syndicate members dragging on, the payslips of the academic and administrative staff of the APJ Abdul Kalam Technological University (KTU) have been blank since July.
“We started four new postgraduate schools near the university’s office in Thiruvananthapuram recently, where even the teachers remain unsalaried,” a senior KTU officer told TNIE. Many people from distant places working on the university campus, including cleaning staff and drivers, are struggling to survive this Onam season, said another officer.
“But we have never compromised on our work,” the officer said, adding that staffers are using their personal vehicles for official purposes.
While the employees are left in despair, the vice-chancellor (V-C) and the syndicate members blame each other for the crisis. The budget, encompassing the university’s administrative requirements, was presented to the syndicate earlier this month. The vice-chancellor’s office said some key syndicate members were absent, while others claimed that Vice-Chancellor K Sivaprasad’s walkout caused the issue.
“Though the salary issue was noticed, nothing could be done unless the syndicate members attended the meeting,” a source close to the vice-chancellor said, refusing to comment on the alleged V-C walkout.
Refuting these claims, Kattakkada MLA I B Satheesh, who is a syndicate member of KTU, said other syndicate members present at the meeting had approved the budget.
“We did this with the syndicate’s powers mentioned in the university statute. The issue persists because of the VC’s walkout,” Satheesh said.
Calling the move a part of the RSS agenda, the MLA said the VC is behaving out of political animosity. “The VC is trying to build an anti-government emotion within the employees by manipulating them,” he said.
Another syndicate member, Balussery MLA K M Sachindev, said the current VC has been neglecting the syndicate members’ opinion for a long time. “The previous VC, Ciza Thomas, had similar issues with the syndicate. With Sivaprasad, things have, if anything, worsened,” Sachindev said.
No pay since July
About 140 contract staff and 100 permanent employees at the university campus in Sreekaryam have been working without pay since July, according to senior officers
They also revealed that nearly 40 pensioners have not received their payments over the past two months