Source: Hueiyen News Service
Imphal, November 01 2010:
Teachers of government schools today threatened to launch a cease-work strike effective from November 5 in protest against the government's failure to implement sixth pay bands of the Central government which the state government had already agreed to pay to its employees six months back.
While announcing the decision to launch the cease-work strike, Convener of the Council of Teachers' Association (COTA), P Koireng also informed that a rally to make education -a free zone will also be organized on November 10 .
Addressing a press conference held at Modhu Girls's Junior High School, the convener recalled that following a prolonged cease work strike of the employees, government had agreed to implement the sixth Pay Commission six months back.
A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was signed in this regard.
In the MoU, government had also agreed to pay backlog arrears of six months.
Six month have passed since the signing of the MoU but government is yet to translate it into work and teachers of the government schools are yet to enjoy sixth pay bands, he said.
COTA had many a time drawn the attention of the government to translate the agreement into work by issuing intimations.
They had also served an ultimatum to the government with a deadline of October 31.But no response came up even after the expiry of the deadline.
This has compelled the teachers to take the harsh decision, he said.
The convener also reminded that COTA had already started a campaign of their stir from October 30.The campaign started from Maxwell Bhairodan Hindi Primary School.
Further, a meeting will be held at the hall of the AMESTA zone-II tomorrow.
It will be followed by another meeting at Chaoyaima Higher Secondary School, Thoubal, and at Bishnupur Higher Secondary School on November 5 .
Teachers under the umbrage of COTA will also organize a rally on November 10 in Imphal showing solidarity to the call for making education a free zone, free from all sorts of disturbances.
The rally will start from THAU ground at 10.30 am and conclude at Khuman Lampak after covering various places.
A public meeting will be held at Khuman Lampak at the conclusion of the rally, he added.
The convener appealed to the people to participate in the rally.