State Govt staff strike from Feb 26

UP government's move to appease the state government employees and teachers by announcing pay package as per the sixth pay commission report, seems to have boomeranged. Even after putting a huge burden of over Rs 15,000 crore on the state exchequer due to salary hike, around 15 lakh employees and teachers are far from being pleased.
They are demanding more and have threatened to go on strike and even vote against the ruling party in Lok Sabha elections, if their demands were not fulfilled. The state Employees' Joint Council and Federation of Employees and Teachers Association, on Saturday, announced to strike work for 72 hours from February 26, demanding `total parity' with their counterparts in the Central government in pay and perks.
RK Nigam, general secretary of the council told TOI that employees and teachers from all over the state, associated with around 200 association, will take part in the strike. He said that while all the state employees and government teachers strike work for three days, those in the roadways will resort to `chakka jam' (strike) on February27.
The state government had constituted Rizvi committee for pay revision of state employees as per the recommendation of the Sixth Pay Commission for Central government employees. But employees in the state are not happy with the pay review.
Even after the hike, they are not getting salaries and perk at par with the Central government employees. Officers in various state government services are also not happy with the pay revision. UP Adhikari Mahaparishad, which represents officers of all state services, on Friday, staged demonstration in Lucknow and planning a protest rally soon, if its demand for cadre review, hike and better promotional avenues are not met.
On the other hand, higher education teachers have threatened to vote against BSP, if government delays the implementation of pay revision as per the recommendation of the University Grants Commission.

Source:Times of India

West Bengal Pay Commission Recommends Pay Hike for State Staff

The fifth Pay Commission of West Bengal Government has recommended a pay hike for around 10 lakh state staff and nearly four lakh pensioners effective April 1st last year.
Finance Minister Asim Dasgupta said that the government would scrutinize the report before making a final announcement within 15 days.
The minister said the report suggested that the minimum pension amount be increased to Rs 3,300 per month and maximum to Rs 35,000 per month.
Paramashish Ghosh Roy has more on the story.

Jharkhand's madrassa, Sanskrit school teachers demand pay hikes

Teachers of madrassas and Sanskrit schools in Jharkhand Tuesday held protests here demanding that the Sixth Pay Commission report, recommending pay hikes for government employees, be implemented for them too.
Hundreds of these teachers under the banner of the Madrassa-Sanskrit Teachers Coordination Committee (MSTCC) took part in the demonstration in front of the Governor's HOuse.
'We are part of the educational system but there is disparity when it comes to us,' said Srikant Pandey, president of MSTCC.
Like madrassas, which are Islamic seminaries, the Sanskrit schools are partly aided by the government. The teaching of Sanskrit is mandatory in the latter.
Abdul Hannan, secretary of the association, said: 'Besides implementation of the Sixth Pay Commission, we want pension and provident fund facilities to be extended to us.'
The association has announced it will go on an indefinite hunger strike if its demands are not fulfilled by the government.

Fifth Pay Commission for State Government employees

The Government of West Bengal through Finance Deptt. Resolution No. 6020-F dt. 28.8.2008 has appointed the Fifth Pay Commission for State Government employees and certain other categories of employees as listed below in Parts A & B.

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SC issues notice to UGC, Bihar Govt on teachers' plea...

The Supreme Court has issued notices to the Bihar Government and the UGC on a petition filed by teachers of the B R Ambedkar Bihar University seeking a raise in their retirement age from 62 to 65 years.

A Bench comprising Justices L S Panta and B S Reddy has asked the state government and the University Grant Commission to file their response within three weeks. The Court passed the order on a petition filed by Senior Teachers Association of the university pleading that on the line of Central University their age of retirement should also be increased to 65 years.

"There should not be a difference in the age of superannuation between the teachers of Central and State Universities when the qualifications for appointment, pay scales and promotional avenues of the Central and State Universities are exactly the same," advocate Kumar Ranjan, appearing for the association said.

The association approached the apex court after the Patna High Court turned down its plea and asked them to approach the UGC for redressal of its grievances.

Source :The Hindu