Gandhigiri fails,ITI teachers back to high-pitch protest

The last month of 2008 saw hundreds of technical teachers in Punjab resorting to a Gandhian mode of protest. Close to 350 protesting teachers went on mass casual leave for a day,but none of them abstained from work. Instead,all of them took classes,despite being marked absent and losing a day’s salary. Ironically,the protest drew applause from Social Security Minister Swarna Ram.

Over a year later,the belief in Gandhigiri seem to have faded. Finding no relief all this while,these teachers,many of them post-graduates with degree in engineering,on Thursday chose the usual way of protest — striking,sloganeering,and making sure they create enough ruckus to be heard loud and clear in the corridors of power. They boycotted classes in all the 107 Industrial Training Institutes (ITI) across Punjab. Over 500 technical instructors sat on dharna and raised slogans outside the institutes throughout the day. ITI Union president Davinder Singh said,“Our Gandhigiri means have failed. The government only listens if you protest hard,immolate yourself or climb up towering water tanks.” The union has now threatened to gehrao the house of Swarna Ram in Phagwara on February 28,and expects more than applause thsi time.

The teachers,all on contract,are demanding dearness and another mandatory allowances. “For the past many years,all we get is a consolidated Rs 7,500 every month,a meager amount,” Singh said.

While the recruitment process to employee these ITI instructors on a contract basis began during the Congress rule led by Capt Amarinder Singh,jobs were given when the incumbent Badal government took over in March 2007. A regular pay scale for these teachers will cost the state exchequer an annual Rs 24 lakh. If government officers are to be believed,Swarna Ram did raise the issue in the meeting of the state cabinet,but the discussion was put off.

The file has since been shuttling from one department to another,sources said.

When the teachers resorted to Gandhigiri in 2008,Swarna Ram issued a note lauding the manner of protest,urging other employees to learn from the teachers. “But it is we who have learnt a lesson,that peaceful mean of protes have little impact,” Singh said.