Teachers to refrain from voting in IMC election, serves strike notice to govt
Source: Hueiyen News Service

Imphal, May 23, 2011: College teachers under the aegis of the Federation of College Teachers' Association today announced that they would refrain from voting in the Imphal Municipal election which is to be conducted on Wednesday, May 25. The association has also served a ceasework notice from June 15 if the government fails to meet their demands before the expiry of the set deadline.

The reason for their action, they said, is to protest the government's failure to fulfill their long pending demand to be given the revised UGC pay scale.

Addressing a press conference held at Manipur Press Club, FECTAM convener M Lokendro reminded their long pending demands to the government.

He recalled that on many occasions that they had pressed the government to translate into work the agreement signed between FECTAM and government regarding the adoption of the revised UGC pay scales and the lengthening of their service period as per UGC norms.

But government has failed to translate it into work till date.

"We have served an ultimatum to the Chief Minister today setting a June 15 deadline to fulfill our demands," he said, adding that if government failed to address their demands within the set deadline the ceasework strike will be effected from the next day.

Before launching the ceasework strike, they would start their agitation on June 6 with a mass sit-in protest.

This would be followed by a one-day hunger strike on June 7, then the ceasework strike would start from June 15, said Lokendro elaborating on the course of agitations that FECTAM is going to launch.

If the government still fails to meet their demands despite the ceasework strike, they will have no other means than to submit mass resignations, he hinted.

The decision of the FECTAM was resolved unanimously in a special general body meeting held yesterday at GP Women's College.

The meeting deliberated on the failure to give executive orders despite the MoU and also lamented that the college teachers are drawing the unrevised salary while the other government employees are receiving the revised pay scales and also two instalments of DA, it said.

Lokendro said that they were discontent on the disparity meted out to the teachers.

The government's unmoved attitude has greatly affected the enthusiasm of the teachers in discharging their normal duties.

It is a great loss to the society as far as higher secondary education in the state is concerned, he said, and alleged that the indifferent attitude of the government is a gross violation of article 14 of the Indian Constitution.

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