Faculty across the IITs are threatening to go on mass hunger strike in an unprecedented showdown with the government unless it revises a new pay regime to address teachers’ concerns within 12 days.
In a memorandum submitted to the human resource development ministry today, the All India IIT Faculty Federation, a body elected by teachers at the institutes, has given a deadline — September 5 — by when the government must withdraw the new pay regime it has notified, and replace it with a structure incorporating their demands.
The demands were placed before the ministry on a day IIM Calcutta became the first among the B-schools to officially register its protest against the new pay structure.
As reported first in The Telegraph on August 19, the new pay regime approved for teachers at the IITs and the IIMs by the cabinet snips effective salaries recommended by a central pay panel.
The new pay structure also omits other key incentives recommended by the panel under former Indian Institute of Science director Goverdhan Mehta to help battle the lure of better salaries from industry and foreign institutions.
Senior faculty members across the IITs for the past five days have been protesting the new pay regime, arguing that it varies with the government’s stated commitment to attract young teachers.
The IITs and the IIMs suffer from a faculty shortage between 20 and 30 per cent.
Teachers at IIT Madras, Bombay and Kharagpur boycotted classes — this has never happened before.
They will all return to classes tomorrow but have threatened to resume their protest if the government does not accept their demands.
The memorandum places a long list of demands that the faculty want the government to comply with. Some of these demands were cited by the faculty as the most important — which if not accepted, could prolong and intensify a protest already unparalleled in the five-decade history of the IITs. (See chart).
New pay scales notified by the UGC for assistant professors in universities boost their salaries into a higher pay range after three years of teaching. But the notified new regime for IITs and IIMs does not thrust assistant professor salaries to a higher pay range though faculty in these institutes start at a higher salary.
A university assistant professor could be earning more than an IIT or IIM assistant professor after teaching for three years — a situation unpalatable for faculty at the more-in-demand institutes.
The memorandum demands that assistant professors at the IITs should also be shifted to the higher pay band after three years.
The IIT faculty have also demanded a higher academic grade pay — a rank-based increment — for associate professors, as it will additionally entitle them to benefits allowed only to those above a certain salary.
The notified pay regime places a 40 per cent limit on the number of professors in each institute, who would be eligible for a higher grade pay.
The faculty have argued that the cap on higher-pay professorial posts will trigger bickering among professors for the higher pay and could lead to nepotism. The cap could also frustrate younger professors unable to move into the higher pay bracket because seniors have filled the 40 per cent quota.
Source : The Telegraph.
7 comments :
Please note:
Comparative benefits if IIT pay scales over UGC teachers:
1). 7 advance increments as compared to 5 in case of UGC teachers
2). Movement to Assoc. Prof. After 9 yrs compared to 12 yrs for UGC teachers
3). 13 yrs for movement to Professor post compared to 15 yrs in case of UGC teachers
4). Movement to Senior Professor after 6 years as compared to 10 yrs in case of UGC
5). A cumulative Professional allowance of Rs 3.0 lakh for 3 years as compared to none for UGC incumbent
The chart posted at the Telegraph newpaper contain several mistakes. UGC asst. professor do not go to PB-4 after 3 years. Please read the original UGC-MHRD pay scale from the ugc/mhrd website.
Mr. sspplm, check the fact before writing in the blog.
In 5th PC, The Asst. Professor at IIT was equivalent to Reader in University. I can give example people from Central University left reader post and join at IIT as Assistant Professor. (One faculty from Delhi Univ. to IIT Kanpur joined 4 years back).
Also, in 5th PC, Associate Prof. at IIT was equvalent to Professor in University with same scale.
Also, there was no equvalent post (salary equivalent) in University to Professor of IIT.
So, Do not campare Asst. Prof. of UGC (now) in Asst. Prof. of IIT. Please compare the scale of Associate Prof, of Univ. with Asst. Prof, ot IIT.
Same for others !!!!
Mr. Siva, Please come out with documentary link which states officially that IIT assistant professors are EQUIVALENT to Univ. UGC readers in the earlier pay scale. Only parity of pay scales in no way will confirm your present claim. And there is no obligation on the part of MHRD to maintain such parity.
Thanks
The parity of pay scale will be maintained again in 6th pay comission. Do not think Asst. Prof. with M.Sc. qualification will be comparable to Asst. Prof. at IIT. My friends those qualified CSIR in 1996, has now reader in Univ. I could have done the same thing and my financial status could have better now. But we struggled for our research in top technical institute in India. People like sspplm may have Ph.D. from the same univ. during the job. We know the standard of your thesis and quality of research.
Who cares even if still u r Asst. Prof. with M.Sc. qualification !!!
I was shocked with your way of sub standard expression. People like you, who wants to isolate yourselves from other tech faculties of our country need a shell. The brand name of an IIT may save you this time (???). But you people have already heard the ringing of the bell.
Dear IIt Faculty members.
Can you please let us all know what are the exact points and cluases w.r.t G.Mehta committe report, you feel that MHRD has deviated to a large extent.
siva.. dont argue with sspplm.. u know, he has decided to oppose IITians.. may be his daughter cud not qualify IITJEE even after 2-3 years of hard fuckkking in coaching institutes.. thts why he is so angry with IIT faculties.
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