AUTA demands job for kin of AU teachers, staff who lost life to Covid

PRAYAGRAJ : At a time when a number of present and former faculty members and nonteaching employees, both of Allahabad University (AU) and its constituent colleges, have lost their lives to Covid-19, the Allahabad University Teachers Union (AUTA) has raised the demand for compassionate appointment of their dependents in the varsity.

In this regard, AUTA president Prof Ram Sewak Dubey and general secretary Prof Shiv Mohan Prasad have written a letter to the varsity vice-chancellor Prof Sangita Srivastava with a copy marked to AU Registrar Prof NK Shukla.

Prof Dubey said an assurance has been given by the registrar that AU would look into the demands and assistance like family pension, gratuity, etc of the deceased employees or teachers will be cleared on top priority.

“We have demanded that AU should provide job to one family member of the deceased employees as was done prior to 2005. The issue could be discussed and approved by the Executive Council (EC), the apex decision-making body of the central university”, said Prof Dubey.

Prof Dubey added that AUTA had also demanded that AU should seek a one-time grant of Rs 2.5 crores from the government of India and the amount should be dispersed among the families of the teaching and non-teaching employees as monetary assistance so that these families could manage their livelihood, especially when the earning member of the family was no more.

“The present and future of these families seem uncertain today,” he added.

Prof Dubey has also cited a letter written to the UGC chairman and the vice-chancellor on behalf of Delhi University Teachers Association demanding jobs for the family members of the teachers who died during the pandemic. He also demanded that a meeting of the EC should be called soon regarding their demand so that there is no legal problem in future.

Meanwhile, president of AU constituent college teachers’ association (AUCCTA) has also demanded that AU and Union Ministry of Education should take all steps to help the family members of teachers and nonteaching staff of AU constituent colleges who have lost the main earning member of the house to this pandemic.

“These are extraordinary circumstances which demand extraordinary decisions and so the government should make suitable policy and give employment to at least one of the family members of the employee who has fallen prey to the virus along with giving some monetary compensation too”, said president of AUCCTA SP Singh.

We have demanded that AU should provide job to one family member of the deceased employees as was done prior to 2005. PROF RAM SEWAK DUBEY, AUTA president