State JNV staff to cease work
Source: The Sangai Express

Imphal, February 13 2013: Heeding the agitation call of their national colleagues in pursuit of various demands, teaching as well as non-teaching staff of Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalayas in the State would cease work from tomorrow till the demands are honoured.

With the agitation spearheaded by All India Navodaya Vidyalaya Staff Association already commencing from February 6 and a massive protest demonstration set to be staged at Jantar Mantar, New Delhi tomorrow, State employees of the Vidyalaya are also planning to organise sit-in-protest at Keishampat Junction on February 16 .

According to the national association's State Executive Committee publicity secretary Pheiroijam Parijat there are about 24,000 employees working in 585 Navodayas throughout the country.

speaking to newspersons at Government Dance College, Palace compound today, Parijat stated that employees serving at 10 Navodayas in the State resolved to join their national colleagues to highlight various grievances of the employees.

Listing round-the-clock working hours, confinement-like work condition, deprivation of basic rights entitled to employees of other Central educational institutions and incompatible emolument as some of their grievances, he conveyed that the employees will no longer take responsibility of the students staying at the Vidyalaya campuses during the period of agitation.

Decrying indifferent attitude of the Vidyalaya authorities to suffering of its employees, the publicity secretary also pointed that employees had been demanding friendly working conditions and commensurate payment since nine years back only to face frequent threats of service termination from the Ministry of Human Resources.

Rather than initiate relevant measures to ameliorate hardships being endured by the employees threat and intimidation compelled JNV employees to launch intense agitation, he said.

Committee president L Gojen, commenting on the issue, lamented that spirit of setting up JNVs across the country in the name of India's first prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru is no more relevant at the present juncture as individual rights of the employees are totally curbed and made to serve the Vidyalaya as bonded-labourers.

He also informed that children of employees studying at these Vidyalayas are discharged from the institute in case of demise of the employee(s).

Meanwhile, Ukhrul JNV employees have already joined the agitation by resorting to ceasework strike from February 12 onward.

The charter of demands of the agitating teaching as well as non-teaching staff members include demand for CCS pension to all employees, who joined service prior to January 1, 2004; 10 percent special allowance to non-teaching staff; MACPS to teaching staff; creation of PGT posts in Modern indian Languages; appointment of warden and matron on permanent basis; defining working hours for all categories of employees; timely promotion to all staff and conduct departmental promotion test every year; restoration of earned leave to teaching staff/vacation staff in addition to half-pay leave; weekly off to all categories of staff; honour court judgements on service matters; stepping up pay of seniors; enhancement of HM/AHM allowance; provide free education to the children of deceased staff; increase number of house mothers; provide health insurance to the staff; sanctioning one day compensatory leave for work on the gazetted holiday(s); implementation of CEE in its true spirit; sanctioning more Group D staff; enhancement of JNVST application scrutiny charges; extension of retirement age for the teachers; and increasing grade pay of computer operators.

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