Madurai: Secondary grade teachers in Tamil Nadu have renewed their demand for “equal pay for equal work”, saying a pay anomaly introduced under the Sixth Pay Commission has remained unresolved for 16 years.
According to the teachers, those appointed after June 1, 2009 were fixed at a basic pay comparable to last-grade employees. They point out that a secondary grade teacher who joined before June 1, 2009 received a basic pay of Rs 8,370, while a teacher who joined just a day later was fixed at Rs 5,200.
About 20,000 affected teachers say the disparity violates the Supreme Court’s principle that employees with the same work and educational qualification should be paid equally. They have continued protests over the years, alleging they have lost thousands of rupees in salary and that their families have been impacted.
The issue had featured in political assurances earlier, but teachers say it was not resolved even after it appeared in the DMK’s election promises. They also allege that protesting teachers were arrested, and that the anger against the then School Education Minister Mahesh later reflected in elections.
Robert, state general secretary of the Secondary Grade Seniority Teachers Association (SSDA), said a three-member committee formed during the DMK regime to address the anomaly has not submitted its report so far. He added that more than 100 teachers who joined in 2009 have retired without seeing any benefit, and expressed hope that Chief Minister Vijay will bring the long-running dispute to a close.
