The teachers of the Shreemati Nathibai Damodar Thackersey (SNDT) Women’s University have joined forces with the Bombay University College Teachers Union (Buctu) to boycott examination duty till their demands for salaries as per the Sixth Pay Commission recommendations are met.
According to Buctu officials, activities like practical exams, internal project assessment and prelims in all colleges affiliated to the University of Mumbai and SNDT, have been cancelled, as meetings with the government did not bear any fruit.
Speaking about the agitation, professor C.R. Sadasivan, a veteran lead-er of BUCTU said that despite repeated meetings and assurances from the government, the teachers’ problems had not been resolved.
“Teachers from SNDT do not have a union, but are part of the Maharashtra Federation of University and College Teachers Organisation (MFUCTO). Hence, they were already part of the statewide agitation. However, since Buctu is based in Mumbai, the SNDT teachers decided to show their solidarity,” he said.
According to the teachers from SNDT the decision to openly announce their support to the agitation and suspend all exam related activities in SNDT affiliated colleges, was the least they could do to make their voices heard.
“Though there are not many teachers under SNDT University who
face the same problems as teachers from the MU or other state universities, it is our moral responsibility to lend them support,” said a teacher from the SNDT University.