Written by: Express News Service
3 min readChandigarhMar 16, 2011 03:23 AM IST
First published on: Mar 16, 2011 at 03:23 AM IST
In response to the call given by Punjab and Chandigarh College Teachers Union (PCCTU),teachers working in more than 160 odd non-government colleges of Punjab and Chandigarh proceeded on mass casual leave and held a rally at Sector 25. The non-teaching employees of seven non-government colleges of Chandigarh also joined the rally.
PCCTU had given a call to highlight the government’s failure to implement the promises made in the ruling party¿s poll manifesto of 2007. Addressing the rally Prof HS Walia,General Secretary,PCCTU,stated that SAD government has not only failed to fulfill the promises made in its manifesto but also the promises made during the course of meetings. He said that colleges are facing a salary crisis as salary grants for third and fourth quarter have not been released so far.
Addressing the rally Dr Jagwant Singh,President,PCCTU,stated that Punjab Chief Minister,Parkash Singh Badal had moved a Bill in the Punjab Assembly on March 30,1999 to amend the Security of Service Act (1974) to grant,pension – gratuity scheme to employees of non-Government colleges,which was unanimously adopted by the Assembly and was notified in the official gazette on April 26,1999. Under the Act a Scheme was approved by his Cabinet on December 11 or 12,2001,which later on could not be implemented due to announcement of elections. Since it is an unimplemented decision of his Cabinet and promise made in his party¿s poll manifesto,he should take immediate steps for its implementation. He said that the ban on recruitment has played havoc with the college Education System. Haryana lifted the ban five years ago ban should be lifted to save the higher education.
Rally was also addressed by Secretaries of PCCTU — H S Atwal,Jitender Sharma and Avtar Singh and Finance Secretary Professor Vinay Sofat,who criticised the working of the office of DPI(C) and Education Department for problems being face by the staff of the colleges.
Addressing the rally Raj Kumar,leader of non-teaching employees of Chandigarh,extended the full support to the agitation as the demand of pension-gratuity is a common demand of teaching employees. He criticised the Centre for delay is the clearance of scales of non-teaching employees.
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