Teachers' stir begins, Minister to meet them tomorrow

Over 30,000 university and college teachers across Maharashtra today went on an indefinite "cease work" strike demanding implementation of 6th Pay Commission.
      
Maharashtra Federation of University and College Teachers Organisations, which has called on the strike, claimed that it has received an "overwhelming response" from the teaching fraternity in several parts of the state including Mumbai, Yavatmal, Kolhapur, Nashik and Aurangabad.
      
Across the state, teachers of government-run primary, middle, secondary school and junior colleges also went on a
day-long strike today demanding 6th Pay Commission on par with
Central institutions.
      
Due to the strike of teachers, state-run schools and colleges remain closed today in Maharashtra.
      
Minister for Higher and Technical Education Rajesh Tope said he would meet the representatives of the federation tomorrow.
      
"The government is looking at the issue sympathetically and we will be considering it as the issue is with the cabinet," Secretary for Higher and Technical Education J S Saharia told PTI.     

Tope had earlier assured the Legislative Council to implement 6th pay Commission recommendations for university and college teachers by mid-July.
    
"University and college teachers from all districts of Maharashtra began their indefinite strike today. They went to their respective colleges and universities today, signed the 'strike muster' and went back home," Secretary of MFUCTO Prof Tapati Mukhopadhyay said.
    
The teachers are also demanding regularisation of around 10,000 teachers affected by the National Eligibility Test (NET) and State Eligibility Test (SET) qualification criteria in 1991 and 2000 respectively. "The strike will continue till the government implements the teachers demands," he said.
    
If the recommendations are implemented, the teachers will get a 30 per cent hike and the arrears for the last three years that would cost to the government exchequer around Rs 1,500 crore.
    
The primary, middle and secondary school teachers courted arrest at Azad Maidan here. Rallies were held by teachers in places like Kolhapur, Nashik, Pune and Yavatmal.
    
The federation claimed that the state has not implemented 6th Pay Commission revised pay scales in spite of directions from Union HRD and UGC.
    
The teachers said they will work on holidays and vacations to compensate the 'cease work' period since the High Court and Supreme Court have banned any type of strike.