Manipur Teachers to go for Three-day Mass Casual Leave to Protest Lowered Pay-Scale

Imphal, July 20, 2019:

On July 11, the Manipur government passed Manipur Services (Revision Pay) Rules, 2019 much against the interest of the teachers' community.

Government teachers in Manipur are to go on three-day mass casual leave from Saturday denouncing the state’s decision to downgrade their (teachers) salary. The decision was jointly taken by three teachers’ association during an emergency meeting held on Friday evening.

The teachers’ associations were Manipur Government Higher Secondary Lecturers’ Welfare Association (MGHSLWA), All Manipur Primary Teachers’ Association and Graduate Teachers’ Association at Johnstone Higher Secondary Schools in Imphal. M Jadumani, representing the three associations, said that the Government is doing gross injustice to the over 10,000 teachers.

“On one hand the state is trying to lift the status of government schools by announcing new development schemes, while on the other, it is disrespecting the teachers’ community, downgrading their grade pay further leaving them in low and deplorable conditions,” lamented Jadumani.

On July 11, Manipur government passed Manipur Services (Revision Pay) Rules, 2019 much against the interest of the teachers’ community. As per the revised structure, the scale pay of Lecturers in Government higher secondary school has been fixed downwardly from Rs. 9,300-34,800 with grade pay of Rs 4,400 against the existing pay they are enjoying which is Rs 9,300 to 34,800 with academic grade pay of 4,800.

The revised pay scale for primary teachers has been fixed from Rs 5,200-20,200 with grade pay of Rs 2,400 against the existing scale of Rs 9,300-34,800 with academic grade pay of Rs 3,000. Similarly, the pay scale of graduate teachers has also been degraded from Rs 5,200- 20,200 with grade pay of Rs 2,400 against the present Rs 9,300-34,800 with academic grade pay of Rs 4,300.

Jadumani, who is also a top functionary of the lecturer association asserted that the teachers’ community would be getting the pay scale equivalent to 5th pay commission when the 7th pay commission is set to be implemented. Jadumani added that the aggrieved teachers will also hold a mass rally till the Education Directorate on Saturday as a part of their protest.

The teachers’ community will continue with their protest and may even resort to cease work strike until a reasonable pay structure is fixed, he warned.

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