RMSA teachers to get 2 months’ salary ahead of Ningol Chakouba

Pothashang News Service: Imphal, November 6, 2018: Rashtriya Madhyamik Shiksha Abhiyan (RMSA) teachers have called off their indefinite cease work strike after authorities assured them to immediately pay two months’ salary ahead of Ningol Chaouba Festival that falls on Thursday and to pay salary for four other months within few days.

The strike was called off till November 15.

The strike was called off after representatives of RMSA Graduate Teachers Association met the deputy chief minister Y. Joykumar, education minister Th. Radheshyam, works minister Th. Biswajit along with education commissioner H. Dileep, director education (Schools) Th. Kirankumar and other officials at the chief minister’s secretariat on Tuesday after the teachers took out a rally from Thangmeiband Athletic Union ground marching towards the chief minister’s secretariat to submit a memorandum on their demands.

The demonstrating teachers were stopped by the police at the Kanglapat road and allowed six selected representatives to submit the memorandum.

The state authorities also told the teachers’ representatives that the government is looking for measures to set a mechanism to pay their salaries regularly.   

The demonstrating teachers were demanding immediate release of pending salaries ahead of Ningol Chakouba festival.

According to the teachers’ association, 990 RMSA teachers were appointed on regular basis in three batches; 450 were selected in 2011, 300 in 2014 and 240 in 2016. It complained that for the 2011 and 2014 batches teachers, salaries has been pending for seven months while for the 2016 batch teachers the salary has been pending for 11 months.

“If the government fails to release four months pay after releasing two months pay ahead of Chakouba we will resume our indefinite cease work strike”, saidMd. Atabuddin an executive member of the teachers’ association.

The teachers complain that from the day of their appointment they never get our salaries on time. “We have been paid on instalment basis for two or three times in a year and that too with backlog. How can we manage our family with no pay and plan for our future in such irregularity”, said a teacher.

“This is festival season and everyone is preparing for Nigol Chakouba, but we are on the street for our salaries,” said another teacher.

The teachers also demanded to absorb the RMSA teachers as graduate teachers under the state government so that they would be paid regularly.

The teachers said they have on cease work strike since Friday and had been staging sit-in till Monday.