7th Pay Revision Stirs Demands

The Maharashtra Teacher's Union has asked the Union government to take responsibility in implementing the recommendations of the 7th pay commission. It has also demanded that the Centre take the entire burden of the pay for at least ten years.

Under the chairmanship of professor V S Chauhan, the University Grants Commission (UGC) has been holding meetings by visiting various states and having consultation meetings with stakeholders.

Maharashtra Federation of University and College Teachers' Organization (MFUCTO) at Pune has also insisted UGC that the Centre should take complete responsibility over the pay revision and for the additional expenses incurred in carrying it out.

According to MFUCTO president Tapati Mukhopadhyay, the manner in which the 6th pay commission was implemented by Maharashtra has led to many legal disputes. "Thousands of teachers are battling the anomalies and discrimination caused by decisions of the state government in the matters of arrears, pension, gratuity, PhD increments, CAS benefits for those appointed during 1991-2000," she said.

He also threw light on the fact that over fifty per cent vacancies in colleges are yet to be filled and demanded that those vacancies should be filled before the implementation of 7th pay revision.

The staff members also complained that if not vacant, the posts are filled by temporary staff who are recruited on contractual basis or paid on hourly basis. They sought the issue to be solved soon. "In self-financing colleges, almost all posts are filled on contractual basis. This is affecting the quality of higher education," Mukhopadhyay said during his presentation before the review panel.

Teachers present at the meeting also requested that the funds from the Centre should be disbursed on time for them to receive timely pay without arrears and also that there should be uniformity in the age of retirement and pay scale for the faculties.