K’taka: Lecturers threaten to boycott II PUC valuation; to stage protest today

Bengaluru: The state government’s delay in setting right the pay parity for the Pre-University lecturers is likely to result in a delay of valuation of second PU answer scripts this year too.

In a recent development, the PU lecturers have threatened to boycott evaluation if their demand of a pay scale on par with degree college lecturers was not fulfilled.

Talks with Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and Primary and Secondary Education Minister Tanvir Sait and office-bearers of the Karnataka PU Lecturers’ Association on Friday failed to yield any results as the Chief Minister said that the issue of pay-scale would be referred to the next Pay Commission that would be constituted by the Government.

Association president Thimmaiah Purle said that the state exchequer would have to dole out an annual sum of Rs 28 crore to concede to the demand and added that the last revision took place during the sixth pay commission 2012. He further said that the Chief Minister out-rightly rejected their demand.

He informed that the PU lecturers would stage a protest near the Gandhi statue at Anand Rao Circle in the state capital on Saturday opposing the government’s attitude towards them.

Purle also said that Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, who also holds the Finance portfolio, had not given any assurance of looking into their demands instead said that it would be referred to the 7th pay commission of the State government, but the lecturers wanted their demands to be fulfilled as soon as possible.

Meanwhile, the Association has been claiming that lecturers in degree colleges were given time-bound promotions but those in Pre-University Colleges were given only two time-bound increments during their entire service period.