Imphal, December 04: Peeved with the government�s failure to honour demands for payment of basic pay and revival of state policy on regularization, the Part-Time Lecturers Association of Government Colleges, Manipur has threatened to intensify their ongoing stir.

The part-timers numbering about 466 serving in different government colleges of the state had been on a cease work strike since September 29 in pursuit of their demands.

The stir has severely affected academic atmosphere in govt colleges.

�We have been assigned workload equal to that of regular lecturers but the state only provides Rs 4500 per month despite an earlier Court order to pay Rs 8000 per month.

We are even given assignment as presiding officer during assembly and parliamentary elections,� said Association general secretary Helendro Singh at a press conference today.

�This is a glaring example of the government�s high-handedness and we are emotionally black mailed and disturbed mentally.

We can�t tolerate such attitude and all consequences arising out of our stir should be responsibility of the state government,� he asserted.

Reasoning that the association�s demands are genuine he said, �as per law of the land the application of equal pay for equal work should be applied.

The enhancement of pay is even more essential in view of spiralling prices of essential commodities�.

Restoration of state policy framed by the government on November 17, 1999 that converted 108 part-timer lecturers as regular employees should be implemented to extend the same benefit to all, including the part timers, he demanded adding �We have the rights to get similar benefit accorded to those 108 lecturers who were in the same categoty as us�.

Contending government's callous attitude had prompted the Association members to resort to cease work agitation since September 29 after submitting proper strike notice, Helendro also reiterated Association's decision to relax the strike for two days to dispense charges in the forthcoming students� union elections of government institutions.

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