UT Computer teachers seek job stability, better salary

Chandigarh, January 1
The three-month-long contract of computer teachers and data entry operators ended yesterday. Though the contract will be renewed further, the computer teachers said this frequent system of revision of contract was no more acceptable to them.
Protesting against the Education Department for the past one week, they demanded job stability and better salary.
Poonam Taprian, president of the Chandigarh Computer Teachers Union, said all computers teachers and data entry operators working in government
schools were harassed with the frequent revision of their contracts.
“Of all 4,300 teachers working in the department, over 200 computer teachers have the worst job conditions. The Education Department has failed to improve it despite a lot of representations and continuous protest,” she said.
The day-long hunger strike of the computer teachers entered the ninth day today. As many as 70 computer teachers and data entry operators gathered at the Sector 20 Masjid Ground.
Everyday five teachers sit for hunger strike from 9 am to 6 pm. Today, four female members and one male member observed hunger strike as part of their resentment against the department. On December 30, the police arrested nearly 50 teachers and released later as they tried to meet the Prime Minister with their list of demands.
The computer teachers said in our contract, there was no provision of salary during the vacations. The government schools were closed from December 25 to January 12 and the computer teachers would not get the salary for these days.
“This is total mental harassment. Till the time we are not paid equal to at least contractual teachers and further the process of our regularisation is not started, we will continue our protest,” a computer teacher said.
They are demanding for their regularisation according to the Punjab Government service rules under which several computer teachers were given regular jobs recently.