Teachers not paid salary for 3 months start hunger strike

JALANDHAR: Irked over no salary for the past three months, primary teachers, under the banner of the Government Teachers Union, Punjab, started a chain hunger strike at the district education officer (DEO), primary, here on Monday.

Around 50 teachers reportedly sat on the strike on Monday.

The teachers have not been getting salary because of the clerical mistake by district education officials, who mistakenly demanded ₹60lakh against the remaining grant of ₹60 crore for the year.

This was highlighted by the Hindustan Times, in its report on January 16 that the salary of over 2,300 primary teachers, was halted due to a single mistake. The teachers last got their salary for October in November.

Union president Karnail Phillaur said that even after repeated protests, the department has failed to disburse their salaries.

Phillaur said,“teachers from different blocks will sit outside the DEO office from 10am to 5pm on chain hunger strike. If the government fails to release our salaries, we will intensify the protest.”

The office of the DEO (primary) had sent a demand of ₹170 crore for teachers’ salary for the 2017-2018 financial year, of which the government had allocated ₹110 crore, while ₹60 crore was withheld.

The salary of only Jalandhar district’s primary teachers amounts to ₹15-16 crore per month and the department was left with only ₹9.53 crore after disbursing the October salary in November.

TEACHERS HAVE NOT BEEN GETTING SALARY BECAUSE OF CLERICAL MISTAKE BY OFFICIALS, WHO GPT APPROVED ₹60LAKH AGAINST THE GRANT OF ₹60 CR