Varsity teachers to strike from April 16
University teachers here have decided to go on an indefinite strike from April 16 with the state government failing to raise their retirement age to 65 years from the current 60 years. Their other demand is disbursal of the revised UGC pay scale arrears, amounting to Rs 500 crore. AP Federation of University Teachers’ Association chairman Prof. B. Satyanarayana said teachers from about 20 universities will participate in the strike and all CET offices in the universities would be closed till their demands were met. The ensuing CETs and other exam duties will be left unattended from April 16 onwards, he said.
“A GO issued in February 2010, promised that the arrears would be paid in full. While arrears to degree college teachers have been disbursed, payment to university teachers is pending since 2010. The state owes us arrears from January 2006 to December 2009,” he said. The state government on Saturday initiated efforts to resolve the issue, with officials of the higher education and finance departments meeting CM N. Kiran Kumar Reddy to discuss the financial and other implications of the demands.
The UGC is willing to bear 80 per cent of the salary arrears if the retirement age is raised to 65 years, but if this is done, the government anticipates protests from lakhs of unemployed youth in the state, who are waiting for jobs despite having all the required qualifications. Deputy chief minister Damodar Raja Narasimha, is expected to request APFUTA on Sunday to withdraw strike and seek time to resolve the issue.
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