No solution in sight to teachers8217; stir

GANDHINAGAR, June 22: A solution to the on-going state-wide indefinite strike by secondary and higher secondary school teachers continued to...

GANDHINAGAR, June 22: A solution to the on-going state-wide indefinite strike by secondary and higher secondary school teachers continued to remain elusive even after a marathon three-hour-long meeting between the government and the striking teachers8217; representatives here this evening.

Before the meeting took place at the Sachivalaya, over 1,500 teachers took out a scooter rally from the Income-tax Circle in Ahmedabad to Gandhinagar to press their demand for the salary on par with central government employees and pay protection for over 2,200 teachers declared by the state government as surplus.

The talks between the government and the teachers8217; representatives broke down as both the negotiating parties stuck to their respective stand on the demands. The government side was represented by Finance Minister Vajubhai Vala, Minister of State for Education Anandiben Patel and senior officials of the education department.

Since the negotiations remained infructuous, another round of talks is slated for Tuesday.

Earlier in the day, the Finance Minister gave enough indication that it was not possible for the government to concede to the teachers8217; demand. This was because due to effecting a raise in teachers8217; salaries the state exchequer would be heavily burdened. He told newspersons that the government would have to shoulder an additional financial burden of whopping Rs 450 crore on account of this.

The minister said the additional burden included Rs 225 crore towards payment of arrears and another Rs 225 crore towards recurring expenditure, if the striking teachers demands were conceded.

Stating that the government8217;s worries would not end at yielding to teachers8217; demands alone because then there were many others belonging to other departments waiting in wings to whip out similar demands. According to him, if the government accepted the demand for even a raise of Rs 500 a month in teachers8217; salaries, there were at least 30 other cadres of government employees would also raise the similar demand. He said this was beyond the capacity of the state government to meet such demands.

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The stalemate also persisted on the issue of surplus teachers. While the teachers8217; representatives, at the Monday meeting, kept on insisting that that the surplus teachers8217; pay be protected till 1997, the government said their pay could be protected only up to 1994. The Finance Minister pointed out that the government had already borne the brunt by paying Rs 1,500 crore to its employees in the wake of its decision to implement the fifth pay commission8217;s recommendations.