“Mashaal March” by SSA-RMSA teachers to register protest for demands
Next protest schedule : 16 May at Zira, 22 May at Moga
“Mashaal March” by SSA-RMSA teachers to register protest for demands
Ferozepur, May 7, 2016: Members of the SSA-RMSA Teachers Union, Punjab today took out a “Mashaal March”, in the bazaars of the city, under the tutelage of Jagsir Singh Gill, Ferozepur Unit President, Sandeep Sehgal General Secretary, Namita Shukla and Tania, Mahila Wing Leader, to register their protest for regularization of their services for the last 8 years and non-release of their wages for the last 14 months in the case of Lab Attendands working under RMSA and for 5 months of RMSA teachers.
In the Mashaal March, teachers, parents and children also participated with shouting slogans against the government.
The march, which was taken out under the leadership of the district president Jagsir Singh Gill, aimed to make the public aware of the “anti-employee, anti-people and anti-education policies of the state government”.
Elaborating on the demands of the union, union leaders said close to 14,000 teachers recruited under the Sarva shiksha Abhiyaan and Rashtriya Madhyamik Shiksha Abhiyaan had been working in government schools of the state for the past seven years on contractual basis.
They said while their primary demand was regularisation of their jobs, there were a few more important demands of the union.
The female teachers recruited under the SSA-RMSA schemes should also be given six-month paid maternity leave as is given to the regular teachers working in government schools, they added.
The leaders said apart from maternity leave, the female employees must also be given medical and child-care leave among other benefits.
Jagsir Singh Gill, District President further said, a committee was constituted in the education department, for regularization of services on June 3, 2015 but it could not submit its report even after passing of 11 months despite the two months scheduled time given to the committee.
Making a direct attack on the Chief Minister, he said, for the last 9 years, the Chief Minister, Punjab is making a drama by holding the sangat darshan but no action has been taken to solve the problems of teachers community which produces every class for the country.
Speaking on this occasion, Sandeep Sehgal, General Secretary, the government is violating the provision of the constitution by not releasing the wages for the last number of months.
While the state government has already extended the cashless health scheme benefit to the newly-recruited contractual employees in many of its departments, the SSA-RMSA teachers working for the past seven years have been left out of its cover, he added.
The leaders said, the protest will be continued on 16 May at Zira and on 22 May at Moga.
Raising slogans against the state government and exhorting the public to be wary of the tall promises being made by the political leaders ahead of elections, the teachers threatened to intensify their stir in case their demands were not met.
