West Bengal teachers to get pay hike from today

Kolkata, Jan 01: The West Bengal Higher Education Department issued an order for revision of pay scale of college and university teachers with effect from January 1, 2020.

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on November 5 had announced that the new pay scale will be implemented from January 1, 2020, and the college-university teachers will get three per cent increment of their respective basic salary for four years from 2016-2019.

The Higher Education Department issued the order on Monday notifying the teachers will get the revised pay scale with effect from January 1, 2020.

Meanwhile, two teacher's bodies threatened to launch a movement as the order "did not address" their demand to put into effect the revised salary from January 1, 2016, itself as recommended in the UGC Seventh Pay Commission.

A top Higher Education official said, "The Hon'ble CM has already clarified on the issue. The teachers will not get the revised salary from 2016 but from January 1, 2020. They will also get an amount each calculating the three per cent increment of respective basic salary figure from January 2016 to December 2019."

All Bengal University Teachers' Association (ABUTA) said in a statement on Monday, "the pay revision scheme announced by the state government today is not in consonance with UGC 7th pay revision scheme."

"We demand the state government introduce revised pay revision scheme of the teachers from 1-01-2016. All arrears should be cleared. Otherwise, ABUTA will form a strong movement with all fraternal teachers organisations," the statement said.

Jadavpur University Teachers' Association general secretary Partha Pratim Roy said, "never in the past the college and university teachers of the state have been deprived of four years'' due arrear in this way."

He said JUTA with "other fraternal organisations" will soon launch "an intense movement against this injustice."