Calicut University employees will go on an indefinite strike from Monday in protest against what they called the autocratic behaviour of Vice-Chancellor M. Abdul Salam.
Keeping aside political differences, all unions of the employees took part in a satyagraha in front of the Administrative Block on Wednesday. “We will not withdraw from the agitation until the Vice-Chancellor listens to our grievances,” said P. Premarajan, chairman of the agitation council.
The employees launched their agitation a few days ago in protest against Dr. Salam’s violation of an assurance given to the employees to discuss and find a solution to their 15-point demands.
At a meeting between the employees and Dr. Salam a few days ago, the latter had assured the employees that he would consider their demands soon after he returned from Thiruvananthapuram.
But the employees alleged that the Vice-Chancellor had broken his assurance by ignoring their demands.
The employees held discussions with some members of the Syndicate on Wednesday evening. The Syndicate members have offered to play the role of interlocutors.
Meanwhile, student organisations such as the Muslim Students Federation (MSF) and the Kerala Students Union (KSU) protested against the attitude of the employees. The KSU took out a demonstration here on Wednesday evening blaming both the Vice-Chancellor and the employees for creating a crisis.
The students said that the employees and the Vice-Chancellor were challenging them by being adamant.
They demanded that the Vice-Chancellor take the initiative to end the employee unrest, and that the employees withdraw from their proposed strike on Monday.
The MSF too accused the Vice-Chancellor of helping to worsen the situation.
They demanded that the employees should not be oblivious of the difficulties that their agitation would put the students in.
