CHENNAI: A total of 7,374 guest lecturers working in government arts and science colleges have urged the government to ensure they receive their salaries for April and exam duty fees for May at the end of the respective months.
Currently, this amount is paid only by the first or second week of July. The lecturers said they are being paid only a paltry sum of Rs 25,000 a month, which is half the salary recommended by the UGC, and the delay in disbursement compounds their troubles.
According to the guest lecturers, they are paid salary for only 11 months from June to April, as the government thinks paying them for 12 months would lead to demands for regularisation of service.
However, they are still required to work during college examinations in May. “We are paid between Rs 150 and Rs 175 a day during this period of which a tax of 18% is deducted. Despite being pressured by colleges to work during exams due to staff shortage, the amount paid doesn’t even cover our travel expense. Some colleges also threaten not to rehire us if we refuse to work during examinations,” said V Thanjaraj of Tamil Nadu All Government UGC-qualified Guest Lecturers Association.
With April salaries being paid only in July and no salary for May, guest lecturers struggle to support their families. Recently, a newly-joined woman guest lecturer from Coimbatore ended her life allegedly due to financial trouble, they said.
The lecturers also wanted the government to pay them salaries for May as well with a break of two to three days in the contract to assuage the government’s apprehension of regularisation. An official said hiring guest lecturers for 11 months is a policy decision of the government. Steps would be taken to ensure that salaries are paid on time, he added.