DUTA Press Release, 21st November, 2017

                                                                                                                         
Thousands of teachers assembled at Mandi House today at 11 AM and marched to the Parliament Street in the DUTA Protest Rally against the retrograde recommendations of the 7th CPC. The MHRD notification dated November 2, 2017 about the 7th Pay revision of teachers in colleges and universities has led to justified anger and resentment within academic circles.

The proposed pay structure will hurt the interests of teachers awaiting permanent placements and promotions. The 7th CPC records the lowest hike for incumbent teachers in independent India. In a blatant anti-teacher move, this government has decided to withdraw the advanced  PhD/MPhil increments meant to reward higher qualifications and to offset late entry into the teaching profession. The college teachers have been downgraded at every level. Even the Principals have been downgraded from the level of the Professor  to that of the Associate Professor after the completion of their tenure. This is an indirect way of denying Professorship in colleges. This MHRD notification shockingly gives no reference to the revised pension benefits for retired teachers. In one of the most brutal assaults on higher education in recent times, the MHRD notification threatens to reduce funds to the Central and the State universities respectively. The MHRD notification clearly states that the revised pay of teachers in the colleges and universities is subject to the guidelines issued by Ministry of Finance dated 13.01.2017 which makes it compulsory for Central universities to generate 30% of finances on their own and the State universities have been allocated only 50% of central assistance for a reduced period of 39 months.

It is also the first time that the UGC Pay Review Committee report has not been made public. The DUTA demands that this report be immediately made public. Point based Appraisal System, which quantified academic and research work was implemented in the last pay revision. It has led to stagnation of teachers across universities. Teachers have been demanding its complete rolback.

The DUTA has submitted a memorandum with a detailed DUTA critique on 7th Pay Revision for teachers to the MHRD. The DUTA demands an immediate rollback of the adverse provisions of  the proposed pay structure. The DUTA is committed to intensify its struggle in immediate future to ensure that teachers are given a fair and transparent teacher-friendly 7th CPC.