On Monday over 50 teachers from different special and remedial schools in the city have embarked on a hunger strike outside the office of state social welfare and justice department at Chembur. While the teachers say they are protesting against the non-payment of their salary for the last 11 months, officials have said that the situation arose because some teachers had not submitted certain necessary documents at the time of their appointments.
According to one of the teachers, Rajendra Kamble, like him 99 other teachers who were appointed in 2004, had not received their salaries. This was because the social welfare departm-ent was demanding a no ob-jection certificate from the disability commissioner.
“The department issued a circular in 2009 asking us to submit the NOC but as we have been unable to furnish it, our appointments have been termed invalid,” said Mr Kamble. He added that as the disability commissioner’s office was in Pune, most teachers had been unable to go there to collect it. Only 34 of the teachers had got the NOC since the circular was issued.
The teachers are contending that as the NOC was not a prerequisite at the time of their appointment, the action against them now is unfair. Another issue is that the department now claims that the date of NOC submission would be new date of appointment.
An official of the social welfare and justice department said, “We are following the rules laid down by the state government. However, we will try to resolve the situation.”
Four of the teachers have said that they will be continuing the agitation and would observe an indefinite hungerstrike if their grievances are not resolved.