Guest lecturers’ strike hits academic activities in Tiruchi

The ongoing strike led by the Federation of Tamil Nadu Government College Temporary Guest Lecturers has hit academic activities in some of the institutions across the Tiruchi district, with faculty boycotting classes, staging protests and sit-in demonstrations from Monday.

Key demands of the federation include the implementation of the concept of ‘equal pay for equal work’ as directed by the Supreme Court, and a monthly salary of ₹57,700 for guest lecturers who are qualified under University Grants Commission (UGC) regulations, besides a 12-month salary structure.

“We are tired of waiting for the state government to fulfil its promise regarding our employment status and emoluments. Though our protest is disrupting the education of our students, this seems to be the only way to raise awareness about the plight of guest lecturers for the past 15 years. We may have to boycott exam duty in the coming weeks if our demands are ignored,” V. Thangaraj, state organiser of the federation, told The Hindu on Wednesday.

Approximately 8,000 guest lecturers are working in the state’s government colleges. The federation has also urged authorities to extend provident fund and employment fund benefits and maternity leave for women lecturers.