CHANDIGARH: The Punjab Federation of University and College Teachers’ Organizations (PFCUTO) will hold a dharna at PAU, Ludhiana on Aug 5 to protest against the unwarranted delay in the implementation of UGC grades in Punjab.
PFCUTO is a federation of Punjab University Teachers’ Association (PUTA), GNDU Teachers Association (GNDUTA), Amritsar; Punjab Agricultural University teachers Association (PAUTA) Ludhiana; Guru Angad Dev Veterinary Sciences University, GADVASUTA, Ludhiana; Punjabi University Teachers’ Association (PUTA) Patiala; Govt. College Teachers Association (GCTA); Punjab and Chandigarh College Teachers Union (PCCTU)
In a statement Dr. Jagwant Singh, General Secretary, PFUCTO stated that it was now nearly a month that the Punjab Govt. had notified the 6th Punjab Pay Commission award. But the UGC pay scales that were to be announced with the Pay Commission award are still nowhere in sight. The teachers had been impressing upon the Government to do the needful but to no avail. This was causing immense anxiety and hardship to the university and college teachers. He added that Punjab was the only state which was yet to implement UGC pay scales notified in November 2017 and UGC regulations notified in 2018. This had also adversely affected the implementation of UGC pay scales in Punjab University, Colleges of U.T., Chandigarh and Himachal Pradesh which adopt the notification of the Punjab Government.
Earlier the teachers had boycotted the evaluation work as a mark of protest to highlight their demand but in view of the hardships being faced by the students with reappears in their earlier semesters and the onset of the admissions process, it had been decided to continue with the evaluation process.
But, the teachers plan to continue with the earlier announced agitation program of holding dharnas. After the dharna at PAU, Ludhiana on Aug 5 they plan to hold the next protest at GNDU Amritsar on August 11 and at Chandigarh on August 24. And, if the Govt. still persists with its adamant attitude then there was likely to be further escalation in the agitation programme.