Lecturers in India threaten to intensify stir, file court case

Peeved at the state government`s continued negligence of their demands, part-time government college lecturers who are currently on a strike, have threatened to intensify their agitation, apart from filing a comtempt of court case against the government.

N. Helendra Singh, general secretary of the Part-time Lecturers Association of Government Colleges, said that in view of the lack of government response to the part-timers` demands, they would intensify their agitation, including closure of college offices and staging of sit-in protests. However, the ongoing ceasework strike would be suspended on December 7 in the students` interest, in view of the college students` union elections being held on that day.

The part-timers have been on cease-work since September 29th in pursuit of their long-standing demand for minimum basic pay.

Helendra disclosed that on November 17, 2005, the commissioner of higher education had sent the association a letter asking them to call off their strike before consideration of their demands, and said this has only confused the part-timers.
He also took umbrage at the state cabinet`s stance on the part-timers` issue in its meeting held on November 19, 2005, contending that the part-timers’ strike was in violation of the High Court`s judgements and order. In this regard, he said the association was considering filing a contempt of court case against the government.

Other association officials pointed out that the state earlier had 635 part-time lecturers serving in government colleges, of whom 108 were regularized under the state policy on part-timers.

Altogether 466 part-timers still remain who have been serving for seven or eight years, association officials said, adding that, although they were initially paid only a pittance of Rs. 1000 a month ($21.68), they were made to perform the same duties as regular lecturers.

Thanks to the recent abolition of the state policy on part-timers, the part-time lecturers no longer have the chance for regularization, they lamented. While the government rules prohibit them from taking up other teaching jobs, the part-timers find it difficult to make ends meet with the remuneration currently paid to them, they said.