Strike of NIT contractual employees reasonable: PANDM
Source: The Sangai Express
Imphal, November 20 2020:
The People's Action for National Democratic Movement (PANDM) has stated that the pen down strike launched by the NIT Manipur Contractual Non-Faculty Welfare Association with an array of demands is reasonable.
PANDM in a statement, said that the body has even made an RTI approach to fix the anomalies in the administration of NIT, Manipur earlier.
Besides their approach, State media had clearly highlighted the issues pertaining to the institute, it said.
The ongoing protest is the result of inattention on the part of the Director, it charged.
These contractual non-faculty employees have been working in the institute since 2010 on meagre salary, it said while adding that at the time of extending their contractual service from 2010-2013, the then Director had fixed their salary lowly.
Through consistent requests, the employees get a small hike in 2016 and with the joining of the New Director, Prof Goutam Sutradhar in April 2018, they have been demanding hike in pay and regularisation of their service, it said.
The Regular staff of the institute are enjoying pay based on the 7th Pay Commission since 2016 period and despite the fact that prices of essential commodities have skyrocketed in recent years, these 68 contractual employees are receiving lowly salary fixed in 2016, it said.
As resolved in the 6th meeting of the Board of Governors (BOG) of NIT on Nov 24, 2015, the power of revising pay for contractual employees was bestowed to the Director and in spite of the fact that NIT cannot be run without contractual employees which constitute 90 percent of the ministerial staff of the institute, their proposal to hike pay has not been considered, it said.
Also as per the Minimum Wages Act and the directives of the Supreme Court, minimum wages should be protected and there should be equal pay for equal work, however such directives have been openly ignored, it said.
BOG or any committee can discuss the demand for pay hike of these contractual employees, however lack of concern has forced these employees to carry out the pen down strike, it said.
The demands of these 68 employees should be heard and attended without any bias or any favour, it said.
Their demand of appointing a regular Registrar for the institute is also a logical one, it said while further adding that forcing non contractual employees, who are excluded from any kind of insurance and medical facilities, to continue working at their own risk, is unacceptable.
If not intervened timely, the matter can turn uglier and reach the concerned Ministry, it said while reminding that movements of CSO's and people always triumph.