Hindustan Times ST (Mumbai) - HT Navi Mumbai Live
Turbhe school staffers stage hunger protest over salary
TURBHE: The teaching and non teaching staff of ICLES’ Mon Ami High School ( English Medium) at Sector 19 in Turbhe went on a chain hunger protest on Thursday over salary issue.
The staff said that it has been following up with the management for proper salary scale since 2012 with little response. They said that they were left with no option but to strike.
Around 30 staff from the English medium’s primary and secondary sections are protesting.
Solunke Rajkumar, a teacher, said: “We are fasting for pay hike. The last increment we received was in 2012. We were given letters in 2012, stating that we will not get any increment till retirement.”
Solunke said: “Students have theri exams. So, we decided to limit our protest as of now to a chain fast so that the students do not suffer.”
Solunke added that if the education department does not do anything and the management does not look into their demands, we they would decide their next course of action within eight days.
Valsala Vishwanathan, supervisor of secondary English
medium, said: “We have started the chain fast as we want revised salary. I have been teaching in the school for 32 years and my salary is nowhere close to the norms of the government. We want equal pay as that of the Marathi teachers.”
She said, “We want the educaton authorities to respond and give a solution. If we are forced, we will intensify our agitation.”
Geeta Rao, the school director said, “The teachers want salary as per the 6th pay commission recommendation. We are a permanently unaided school and hence do not get any grant from
government.”
She added, “Ours is the only English school in the area where the economically weaker sections live. We have to spend on maintenance, bills for water, electricity, have installed water coolers and provide all facilities for the students including a computer lab. How much more can we do when the fee is just Rs700.”
Rao said, “We do not even get the fee in time. There has been an arrears of Rs4 to 5 lakh for years. Under these circumstances, they want the same salary as Marathi medium, which is not in our capacity.”