Implementation of 7th Pay Commission: PUTA to continue protest on PU campus

PU authorities said implementation of 7th Pay Commission was pending for a want of notification from the Punjab government

The members of the Panjab University Teachers’ Association (PUTA) will continue to protest to implement the 7th Pay Commission inside PU campus as per a statement issued by the teachers’ body.

PUTA president Mritunjay Kumar said PUTA members sit at protest shifts between 9am to 5pm everyday and their talks with the Punjab government were going well. (HT FILE PHOTO)

Speaking about this, PUTA president Mritunjay Kumar said, “For 28 days we have been protesting under the banner of Punjab Federation of University College and Teachers Association outside the PU administration building. We sit here in shifts between 9am to 5pm everyday and our talks with the Punjab government have been going well. Recently, the PU V-C told us to shift the protest from the campus to the University Grants Commission. He has no business telling us where to protest and the site doesn’t matter as the protest is symbolic. He himself is drawing his salary as per the 7th Pay Commission while he lets us teachers suffer.”

The PU authorities meanwhile have issued a statement saying, “PU authorities are always concerned for the welfare of its faculty. The implementation of the 7th Pay Commission is pending for a want of notification from the Punjab government, but PUTA has set up the protest site on campus as if the varsity has to issue the notification. Such an action can be counterproductive and it fails to put any pressure on the Punjab government. On the contrary the image and perception of PU is getting affected adversely, which in turn may affect PU’s NIRF ranking as well as NAAC grading.”

The authorities further added that PUTA should protest outside the Punjab Secretariat.