Teachers meet tope over strike, no resolution
Pursuant to a Bombay high court direction to the government to resolve the teachers’ strike at the earliest, minister of higher and technical education Rajesh Tope has invited the teachers to speak about their demands. However, according to the teachers, no decision was reached at till late Friday evening, as the minister agreed to their demands in-principle, but said that the decision would require the approval of the governor and the cabinet.
“We have been talking to Mr Tope for the past two hours, but nothing concrete has come of it till now,” said Prof. K. Sadasivan, member of Bombay University College and Teachers Union (Buctu) who was part of the delegation of teachers who met the minister on Friday evening.
Prof. Sadasivan further added that while the minister readily agreed to their demands for payment of arrears, the issue of NET/SET approval of teachers appointed before January 2000 remained unresolved. “The only way forward is for the governor to come out with an ordinance,” said Prof Sadasivan.
The teachers’ delegation included representatives of various other teachers’ organisation that are agitating under the banner of Maharashtra Federation of University and College Teachers’ Organisation (Mfucto).
The statewide teachers’ strike has already passed the 75-day mark. “We are now on shaky ground as the agitation has stretched beyond a certain point,” said Prof. Sadasivan. He indicated that the strike could possibly be called off by the end of this month.
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