Arunachal Educators Plan Strike Over Salary Delays

The Arunachal Pradesh Teacher Educators' Association threatens a strike due to salary delays, demanding integration of salaries into the state system for consistent payments.

The Arunachal Pradesh Teacher Educators' Association (APTEA) has expressed its intent to go on strike starting Friday due to persistent delays in salary disbursements for employees at District Institutes of Education and Training (DIETs).

APTEA has called for urgent payment of backlogged salaries and integration of the payroll into the state's treasury to guarantee regular payments. Lecturers, recruited through the state's Public Service Commission, are crucial for training both in-service and pre-service teachers through DIETs. Despite being state government employees, they face ongoing financial hardship from salary delays since 2019, relying on inconsistent funds from Centrally Sponsored Schemes.

The association’s president, Tayon Dai, highlighted the difficulties staff endure, such as affording essentials like rent and education fees. Past appeals to authorities have not yielded a permanent solution, prompting the decision for a phased strike, starting with a pen-down protest on May 29, escalating to an indefinite strike from June 15 if issues persist.