Maharashtra Univ teachers to intensify strike from Monday. Meghalaya Pay Panel submitted report - EC Unhappy.

Over 30,000 university and college teachers across Maharashtra who are on 'cease to work' strike today said they would intensify their strike from Monday as the state government had not given anything in writing on their demands including implementation of sixth pay panel.

"We will intensify our 18-day-old strike, from August 3 as nothing has been given in writing to the Maharashtra Federation of University and College teachers organisation (MFUCTO) on 6th Pay Commission as well as other demands," Federation's Secretary, Prof Tapati Mukhopadhyay told.

During the implementation of 5th Pay commission, the government had given in writing the details to the Federation and this time inspite of spending over 25 hours during the past few days, government has not come out with anything in writing.

"We want the government to clarify which are the points directed by Ministry of Human Resource Development followed by the government and which are not," she said.

Meanwhile, Principal secretary Education J S Saharia said, teachers are aware of the difficulties in resolving the issues and there is no UGC notification.

The government will also consider further action without elaborating it.
Source ZEE News.

Meghalaya : Empowered committee submits report to Lapang.

This evening (31st July), the empowered committee headed by principal secretary, finance, B.K. Dev Verma examined the percentage of pay hike to be implemented for government employees, submitted its report to Lapang.

An official source said the report had given more or less the same recommendations as that of the Fourth Pay Commission headed by former chief secretary K.K. Sinha. It submitted the report to the government at the end of last year.

Chief secretary Ranjan Chatterjee said the committee by and large agreed to the recommendations of the Fourth Pay Commission. If implemented, the pay hike will be applicable to 60,000 government employees and 20,000 government teachers.

Chatterjee said the finance department would meet soon to prepare a cabinet memorandum regarding the pay hike and later the matter will be discussed in the cabinet. Lapang and Sangma along with a few officials had stayed almost a week in Delhi to take up the issue of pay hike with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and finance minister Pranab Mukherjee.+

After yesterday’s cabinet meeting, the deputy chief minister said the government had decided to enhance the rate of minimum daily wages for unskilled, semi-skilled and skilled labour to Rs 100, 120 and Rs 140 respectively.

The Election Commission announced the byelection on July 16. With the announcement, the model code of conduct came into effect at once.

Chief electoral officer P. Naik said he had sent a letter to the government today, urging it either to keep in abeyance the decisions to enhance the minimum wages and create a new department or to get the Election Commission’s clearance.

Naik told this correspondent today that the decision to enhance the minimum wages was definitely a violation of the model code of conduct.

Source : The Telegraph.