College-varsity teachers' bodies threaten joint movement for implementation of UGC pay scale

Several college and university teachers' organizations of the state on Friday demanded immediate implementation of the revised UGC pay scale from January 2016 and threatened a joint movement if the demand was not immediately addressed, an official said. Office-bearers of Jadavpur University Teachers' Association (JUTA), All Bengal University Teachers' Association (ABUTA), West Bengal College and University Teachers' Association (WBCUTA) were among 15 participants that met and decided to immediately take up the demand with the Chief Minister's Office and jointly launch a movement if it was not addressed immediately.

The West Bengal Higher Education department in a notification on December 30 said college and university teachers will get a revised salary from January 1, 2020, but the teachers demanded they should get the revised salary from January 1, 2016, as per the UGC recommendations. JUTA General Secretary Partha Pratim Roy said the meeting also demanded that retired college/university teachers be given the revised pay scale and demanded increment for Ph.D./M Phil/M Tech scholars from January 1, 2016, as per UGC recommendations.

The teachers' associations, who met at Jadavpur University, further called for the scrapping of the recent West Bengal Universities and College (Administration and Regulation) Act 2017 which specified "Every communication proposed to be made by the Chancellor to any state-aided university shall be routed through the (higher education) department." The 15 teachers' bodies also condemned the "assault on students and teaching/non-teaching staff on campuses across the country." 

(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)