Anna University teachers union begins sit-in protest

The Tamil Nadu Anna University Teachers’ Association (TNAUTA), representing the faculty of Anna University’s constituent colleges, began its sit-in protest from 5 p.m. on Friday. The protest will continue till Saturday morning, in a bid to draw the attention of the varsity’s administration in Chennai and State government officials over long-pending issues.

Besides 64 faculty members in Tiruchi, teaching staff in the Coimbatore, Kancheepuram, Tindivanam, Panruti, Thirukkuvalai, Pattukottai, Ramanathapuram, Dindigul, and Madurai campuses of Anna University participated in the protest.

“Faculty members appointed during 2008 and 2009 in constituent colleges continue to face severe stagnation. In contrast, faculty appointed during the same period on the Chennai campus have been promoted to the rank of a Professor while many of us have not received even a single promotion since the date of joining,” TNAUTA said in a press release on Friday.

Completion of the absorption process, settlement of retirement benefits within one month, and the appointment of a Syndicate nominee from TNAUTA to ensure fair representation of constituent colleges in university decision-making were among the demands made by the body.