TDTA school teachers protest non-payment of salary for nine years

Teachers stage dharna in front of CSI Tirunelveli Diocesan office on Monday.

Fifty-four teachers of government-aided schools run by the Tirunelveli District Trust Association (TDTA) observed a fast on the premises of the TDTA office here on Monday.

The teachers, awaiting indefinitely for appointment approval, have been working without salary for nine years

 The protesters said 54 teachers, who passed the Teacher Eligibility Test in 2013, were appointed in 2014 in government-aided primary and middle schools administered by the TDTA management of Tirunelveli CSI Diocese. Even before getting appointment approval for the 54 teachers, the TDTA management appointed around 140 teachers subsequently even though they had not reportedly passed the Teacher Eligibility Test.

 “When we appealed to the TDTA management to apply for appointment approval for the 54 teachers who have passed the Teacher Eligibility Test, the management replied that they would apply for the appointment approval for all teachers including those who had not passed the Teacher Eligibility Test. Since the government will not give appointment approval for those who have not passed Teacher Eligibility Test, the TDTA management is delaying the process for no reason. Consequently, we, the 54 teachers including 40 women teachers, are working without salary for the past nine years,” said a protesting teacher.

 They complained that even though the government was ready to give appointment approval to teachers with pass in Teacher Eligibility Test, the TDTA management’s ‘wrong approach’ was delaying the process and disbursal of salary to the teachers for nine years.

 “Since the disbursal of salary is getting delayed indefinitely, two women teachers are now fighting a divorce case filed by their husbands,” alleged another protesting teacher.

 When TDTA manager Arulraj Pitchaimuthu held talks in the evening with the teachers protesting from 10.30 a.m., the protestors were firm in their decision of continuing the agitation until their cases were taken-up with the government for getting appointment approval.

 As Mr. Arulraj assured them that the process for getting appointment approval for the 54 teachers with pass in Teacher Eligibility Test would be completed before February 10, the protestors left the spot with the warning that they would have to intensify their struggle if the promise was not kept.