More than 13,000 teachers from the municipal corporations of North and East Delhi have initiated an agitation to demand payment of their salaries, which they say to have been due for more than three months now. If not charged, the teachers threatened to stop the upcoming proceedings of the House meeting of the companies that scheduled to take place on Monday and Tuesday, respectively.
Although teachers in the North Corporation last paid in May, teachers in the Eastern Civic Body prior collected their salaries in June this year, as per the Teachers Association.
For the last 26 days, a group of teachers has been sitting at the Civic Centre, the headquarters of the North Corporation, on agitation for 2 hours daily to request the payment of their dues.
Ramnivas Solanki, general-secretary teachers’ union:
We sit here for two hours per day after work to register our opposition. Unless we get our dues, we won’t let the House proceedings take place. Throughout the pandemic, we have been operating without caring about our welfare.
They aren’t even paying us anymore. It has become impossible for individuals to deliver their EMIs for loans, rent a house, or even pay their children’s tuition fees. Our funds have also begun to run out,’ said Ramnivas Solanki, secretary-general teachers’ union.
Over 9,000 teachers are working by the North Company, while the Eastern Civic Body employs 4,200 teachers.
The teachers said that, despite being not paid, they worked every day to ensure that students didn’t suffer. But, the agitators added in the same breath, if this continues for a long time, they would have to go on an indefinite strike.
How do teachers continue working in this scenario? This month is coming to an end, but neither the administration nor the political leaders have a term.
Vibha Singh, senior vice-president of the association, and principal of the Eastern Civic Body School in Gandhi Nagar said that the corporations and the Delhi government have engaged in a blame game that has made the employees suffer.
In addition to students, the North Corporation-run Kasturba Hospital’s nursing staff, paramedics, and sanitation staff have also been a daily protest over pending salaries for the last 13 days.
The municipal corporations headed by the BJP and the Delhi government led by the AAP have been involved in a blame game over the disbursement of funds to the civic bodies.
Although the cash-strapped civic bodies have alleged that they did not receive funds from the Delhi government, the government has maintained that it has already released the funds and owes nothing to the companies.
Nirmal Jain East Corporation Mayor:
Mayor of East Corporation Nirmal Jain said the civil body would bring a resolution on the matter at the corporation’s House meeting on Monday.
Tomorrow we will put a motion in the House about not having sufficient funds to pay the employees ‘ salaries. Because of the eastern civic body for this year, which has not been published so far, the Delhi government is to disburse ~ 1100 crore.
It is a fixed agreement that under various heads, the state government would give funds to the companies for years. We can also go to court to settle this issue if necessary, “Jain said.
Jai Prakash Mayor of the North Corporation:
Mayor Jai Prakash of the North Corporation said he would meet all the staff whose dues were pending on Monday, including teachers, nurses, paramedics, and sanitation staff hired by the civic body.
I approached the central government to provide us with wage-paying funds and to find a lasting solution to the problem. It’s going to take some time, but it’s going to be solved, “Prakash said.
“In the meantime, reacting to the allegations of the corporations, an AAP spokesperson said,” If BJP is unable to operate the corporations, it should hand over the service to the AAP. Before running for the ballot, did they not know about the MCD funds? BJP should send the workers wages, or it should resign immediately.’
