Ahmedabad: Teachers want fix pay tenure added in service

Members of Ahmedabad District Primary Education Association on Monday handed over a memorandum to the district collector to include a five-year period of fixed pay in service records of all teachers who were appointed after 1997. Expressing their concerns ov-er fixed pay, the vidyasahayaks staged a protest outside the collector's office Monday.

In the memorandum, they said the vidyasahayaks get Rs 2,500, Rs 4,500, Rs 5,300, Rs 7800, Rs 9300, Rs 10,000 and Rs 19,950 salaries every month.

While their work involves a lot of hardwork, on many occassions they work beyond their working hours. Teachers, who were appointed after 1997, have been dissatisfied with the present norms and feel injustice caused to them. "If our demands are not heard, the protest will be held in Gandhinagar on February 15-16 an a memorandum will be handed over to the Chief minister of Gujarat," said one of the teachers.

Across the state, similar protests are taking place to alert attention of authorities for not taking up other long-pending demands.

A primary teacher, requesting anonymity said, "We are assigned duties for all events including elections. Without thinking about our family or holidays, we fulfil our duties diligently. However, due to the earlier notification, we are not considered senior and hence are on the same pay for years."

UNHAPPY NOTE

Teachers, who were appointed after 1997, have been dissatisfied with the present norms and feel injustice caused to them.