CHENNAI: After the talks with the school education department regarding equal pay for equal work failed on Monday, Secondary Grade Seniority Teachers’ Association said that they would stage an indefinite hunger strike from September 28.
The association members had staged a hunger strike at the DPI campus in January, following which Chief Minister MK Stalin had announced that the government would form a three-member committee, headed by the finance secretary (expenditure), with school education secretary Kakarla Usha and the then elementary education director G Arivoli (present director of school education department) as members, to look into the issue.
J Robert, state general secretary of the association, said, “In January, we were told that it would be resolved within three months, but the issue still persists.” The members said, “The basic pay for teachers who were appointed before June 1, 2009, was Rs 8,370, while it was Rs 5,200 for those appointed on or after the date. The pay gap has been widening with every pay commission. More than 20,000 teachers are affected due to this.”
While they are planning to start the protest on September 28, when holidays begin for Classes 1 to 5, the members said that the government has to decide if it should continue after the schools reopen. More than 15,000 teachers with their families are expected to participate in the protest.
Schools for classes 1 to 5 to open on October 9
The school education department on Monday postponed the reopening of the schools for Classes 1 to 5 to October 9. However, schools for Classes 6 to 8 will reopen on October 3.