Secondary-grade teachers to intensify protest on Thursday

CHENNAI; Insisting on meeting Chief Minister MK Stalin regarding their demands, the secondary-grade teachers protesting for over ten days have decided to intensify the indefinite strike on Thursday at all district headquarters.

Meanwhile, school education minister Anbil Mahesh Poyyamozhi urged the teachers to withdraw the protest as the board exams are fast approaching.

Also, with thousands of teachers protesting, several of them were arrested by the city police.

Urging the DMK government to address their demand of 'equal pay for equal work', themembers of Secondary Grade Seniority Teacher's Association (SSTA) have been protesting at DPI campus since February 19.

The teachers allege that nearly 20,000 teachers have been deprived of their salary difference of Rs 3,170 from other teachers. And, several thousand teachers have already retired without receiving their rightful salary.

The pay disparity arises when teachers appointed after June 2009 of Rs 3,170 for the same amount of work than those appointed on or before May 31, 2009.

The protesting teachers have been urging both the DMK and AIADMK governments to address the issue with repeated requests and protests. But, all to vain, they lament.

"Despite several years and multiple committees formed to address the demands kept, we have not received any resolutions. While the government has allotted a large budget for education, the rights of teachers by and large remain as such demands, "said a senior faculty protesting in the city.

"We have seen about five committees formedto address the demands of SGTs. Though, CM Stalin assured the recent committee will submit its report in three months, we are yet to hear anything from them, despite it being over six months," rued a member.