Chandigarh: Punjab is the only Indian state left that has yet not implemented revised University Grants Commission pay scales as per the 7th Pay Commission, thereby depriving nearly 20,000 college and university teachers of their rightful salary hikes. Their salaries were last revised in 2006.
With the pre-election Model Code of Conduct expected to be in place soon and the Punjab government repeatedly failing to commit on its statutory responsibility, teachers are in a fix.
“Approaching the courts is the only alternative left. Despite our protests in recent months including hunger strikes, the Punjab government refused to yield,” Panjab University Teachers’ Association (PUTA) president Mritunjay Kumar told The Wire.
He said in election season, the mindset of the governments have become such that they are prioritising communities that may fetch them maximum votes. “In that process, teachers who otherwise are the backbone of the society are made to suffer. Such a pitiful situation of teachers was never seen in Punjab as it is experienced now,” he said.
He said the last pay scale in 2006 was implemented without much delay. “But this time, we are waiting for more than three years, which is a huge injustice to the teaching community,” he added.
The Punjab government’s implementation of salary hikes for college and university teachers has been pending since 2018, when the UGC’s revised pay scales were adopted and then implemented throughout the country. The three-year delay in Punjab has had repercussions not only for teachers of Punjab, but also left teachers of the UT Chandigarh and Himachal Pradesh high and dry. Both Himachal Pradesh and Chandigarh adopt the pay scale rules set by the Punjab government.
The total number of affected teachers is close to 30,000, said Kumar.
Himachal Pradesh College Teachers’ Association president R.L. Sharma told The Wire that the delay in salary hike had a cascading effect on teachers in the region.
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“First, several teachers retired without getting the legitimate salary hike, which affected their retirement benefits too. Second, the delay made it difficult for teachers to switch over to other campuses outside the region because of stagnancy in salary. Third, it has also affected the motivation level of teachers,” he said.
He said the delay on the Punjab government’s part is really surprising. When the government of Punjab notified the Pay Commission for its own employees in July 2021, it assured teachers it would issue a separate notification for them.
What is stopping Punjab?
The implementation of revised UGC pay scale that will hike teachers’ salary by 15% to 22% will put an additional financial burden of Rs 80-90 crore per year on the state exchequer. But the biggest worry for the state is not the annual salary hike. The revised UGC pay scale will be implemented backdated from 2016.
As per a rough estimate by the state finance department as well as the teaching community, in case of the implementation of revised UGC pay scale, the immediate financial liability on state government will be more than Rs 550 crore.
Earlier, the state blamed COVID-19 for the delay in implementation. Now in election season, the state is busy splurging on sops, leaving teachers in lurch. For instance, chief minister Charanjit Singh Channi already waived off arrears of domestic electricity consumers upto 2 KW load, thus benefitting nearly 20 lakh poor Dalit families with a relief of Rs 1,500 crore.
Likewise, power prices were reduced by Rs 3/unit for domestic consumers with load up to 7 KW, benefitting over 69 lakh families with a relief of Rs 3,316 crore per year.
The state government also waived off pending electricity arrears worth Rs 1,168 crore with respect to water supply schemes of panchayats. Likewise, monthly water service charges for Rural Water Supply (RWS) connections were also reduced from Rs 166 to Rs 50, thus benefiting all rural households getting piped water supply in the villages. In the urban sector, more than 25 lakh families were given a relief of approximately Rs 700 crore for waiving water supply and sewerage arrears.
“We don’t care about the politics of the present government but no country or state can see itself on the global map, when its teachers are discriminated against,” said Kumar. “Numerically speaking, teachers may not a big constituency in Punjab, but injustice against them is akin to the injustice against humanity.”
Dharnas, hunger strike, rallies
PUTA and the Punjab Federation of University and College Teachers’ Organisations (PFUCTO) have been carrying out a relentless struggle during the last one year against the Punjab government, for early implementation of the revised UGC pay scale.
After separate rallies held at various universities in Punjab, a first state-level rally was held on April 3, 2021 at Panjab University, Chandigarh.
Thereafter, PUTA, as a part of a PFUCTO delegation, marched to the Punjab Legislative Assembly and handed over a memorandum to the speaker, who assured them of immediate relief. But nothing happened.
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A dharna-cum-hunger strike was launched at the Panjab University campus, Chandigarh. This continued for 45 days, and teachers from different universities and colleges participated.
Finally on October 19, 2021, Pargat Singh, minister of higher education in the Punjab government, arrived at the dharna site and got the agitation suspended, on the assurance that a notification on the new pay scales would be issued within the next two weeks.
This too proved to be a farce. Continuing with their agitation, teachers of universities and colleges all over Punjab held a candlelight march in their respective institutions on November 12, followed by a gherao of ministers on November 16 and finally a grand rally where about 100 teachers courted arrest on November 30.
Teachers’ protest march to the governor’s house in Chandigarh. Photo: Special arrangement
Meanwhile, the PUTA delegation met Punjab finance minister Manpreet Singh Badal at Bathinda, who again assured them that the notification would be issued by November 30.
The PUTA delegation along with some senior colleagues also met the chief minister at Morinda on November 28 for necessary action on the matter. Even after Badal and Channi’s words, though, no notification was issued.
Utterly disappointed by the government’s apathy, president of PFUCTO, Professor H.S. Kingra began a fast unto death on December 1, fighting the extremely cold weather, at Punjab Agricultural University, Ludhiana.
Still, the Punjab government remained a mute spectator. On the eighth day, i.e., on December 8, Bharat Bhushan Anshu, cabinet minister in the state government, visited the dharna site and persuaded Kingra, whose health had deteriorated considerably, to break his fast, assuring him of an early resolution.
On December 13, all teachers under the banner of PFUCTO, PUTA and PCCTU Chandigarh unit held a protest march to the governor’s house.
PUTA and PFUCTO office bearers say that they will continue to fight until their demands are met.
Research affected
The protest by university and college teachers across the state has affected research work and academics in several campuses across Punjab. Written exams have already been deferred in most places. In places like the Punjab Agriculture University, which are research-focused, work has come to a near standstill.
The affected institutes include all five universities in Punjab, 48 government colleges and approximately 136 government-aided colleges.
Teachers are abstaining from work on a call given by the Punjab and Chandigarh College Teachers’ Union (PCCTU) and the Punjab Federation of University and College Teachers’ Organisations since December 1.
Punjab education minister Pargat Singh in a statement said that he had several meetings with the protesting teachers, and agree that their demands are genuine.
“I have already discussed the matter with chief minister Charanjit Channi and have sent my recommendations to finance minister Manpreet Badal. I am hopeful for quick decision,” he said.
