Bihar contractual teachers threaten strike

Nearly 3.5 lakh school teachers working on contract in Bihar on Sunday threatened to go on strike from February 1, 2018, in case the state government failed to decide on equal pay for equal work for them.

At a meeting of 23 different organisations, the school teachers hired on contract have given an ultimatum to the state government to order equal pay for equal work for them by January 31, 2018, or face a strike from February 1.

"We will lock the primary, middle and high schools across the state and we will also boycott Class 10 and Class 12 exams in February," a leader of the contractual school teachers said here.

School teachers working on contract said they have been forced to take this decision with the state government likely to move the Supreme Court against the Patna High Court order on equal pay for equal work for thousands of school teachers hired on contract in the state.

The Patna High Court in a historical verdict on October 31 said the demand of thousands of school teachers on contract in Bihar of equal pay for equal work is right and has to be made applicable.

In their petition, the contractual teachers said that they have been discriminated against in connection with equal pay for equal work in the state.

The High Court's order came as a big relief to contractual teachers in Bihar.

The contractual teachers had staged protests earlier demanding the right to equal pay for equal work. Their main demand was for parity of salary with the government school teachers.

Chief Minister Nitish Kumar had earlier expressed his disappointment with the protests and declared that their demands for parity of salary with the government school teachers would not be met.

--IANS

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