Talks fail,college teachers’ strike continues

As the stalemate on the implementation of the Sixth Pay Commission’s (SPC) recommendations to college teachers in the state continued,the second day of the teachers’ strike resulted in an undeclared holiday for the students. Discussions with Higher and Technical Education Minister Rajesh Tope,which went on till Wednesday late evening,were unsuccessful. The discussion will continue on Thursday.

The Maharashtra Federation of University and College Teachers’ Organisation (MFUCTO) has called for the indefinite strike across the state,in which around 50,000 college teachers affiliated to different teachers’ organizations,including Pune University Teachers’ Association,are participating. The MFUCTO has said it would continue the strike till the government announces the implementation of the SPC for college teachers.

“The MFUCTO executive committee members discussed the various issues related to implementation of the SPC recommendations with the minister,” said M Sadashivan,president of MFUCTO. “The meeting continued for nearly four hours but could not come to a fruitful conclusion. On Thursday,we hope to find some solution,” he said. Education secretary J S Saharia and higher education director R V Kirdak were present during the meeting.