Faculty members of Andhra University’s campus colleges launched strike on Thursday as part of the State-wide agitation by teachers of all State-run universities asking the State government to pay the arrears pending since 2006 after the UGC recommended pay-scales were implemented and to enhance the age of retirement to 65 years, and to concede their other demands.
The strike would continue till the government came out with a positive statement on their demands, said president of Andhra University Teachers’ Association M. Poornachandra Rao.
They would also not allow the offices of academic departments to function and the work at the Central Administrative Office (Registrar’s Office). On the first day, the teachers gathered in front of the CAO office and raised slogans in support of their demands. They also did not allow the non-teaching staff to enter the building. AUTA secretary K. John, former secretary M. Prasada Rao, and others addressed the dharna participants.
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Prof. Poornachandra Rao said a meeting of Vice-Chancellor in charge with HoDs and Chairmen of Boards of Studies of all academic departments on Friday would not be allowed to be conducted.
Separate protests
In Kakinada, as part of the Statewide agitation by the university teachers demanding immediate payment of arrears and revision of superannuation age on a par with their counterparts in the central universities, faculty of Andhra University’s PG Centre and the college of engineering of Jawaharlal Nehru Technological University Kakinada (JNTUK) staged separate protests on their campuses on Thursday.
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The university teachers were stating that they have to be paid arrears for a period of three years from January, 2006 and the inordinate delay in making the payment was causing a lot of inconvenience to them.
At the PG Centre, a delegation headed by professors J.V.K.V. Pandit and I. Dosagiri Rao submitted a memorandum to the special officer P. Arun Kumar, while at the JNTUK a team led by teachers’ association president G. Abbaiah submitted a memorandum to Vice-Chancellor G. Tulasi Ram Das seeking immediate solution to the problems.