SSA non-teaching staff protest enters 4th day, vows to continue till govt consider 80% salary enhancment

Syllad | The Rising MeghalayaAugust 4, 2024

The indefinite sit-in-demonstration of the SSA non-teaching staff under the banner All Meghalaya SSA Non-Teaching Staffs Association (AMSSANTSA) entered its fourth day on Saturday even as they vowed to continue the agitation till the state government is ready to consider 80% salary enhancement.

“We are not ready to leave from here till the government is ready to comply with our demands,” a leader of the association said.

VPP MLA from Mawlai Brightstar Marbaniang were among the few political leaders and NGOs, who met the agitating staff to express solidarity in their fight for equal pay for equal work.

On Friday, the association had expressed disappointment over the outcome of the meeting of the Rationalisation Committee to examine the proposal for enhancement and rationalisation of the salaries of all the Samagra Shiksha (Non-Academic) staff.

“We are not happy with the outcome of today’s meeting. Discussion was reaching nowhere, we did not even cover the terms of reference, so it was a waste of time,” president of the AMSSANTSA Jennyfer J Synrem had said after the meeting.

“Therefore, we have decided to continue with our indefinite sit-in-demonstration till our demands are met,” she said while informing that the second round of meeting of the rationalisation committee will be held on Thursday next week.

A notification in regards to the 20-member committee headed by Commissioner & Secretary Vijay Kumar Mantri – was handed over by the Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma to the delegation of All Meghalaya SSA Non-Teaching Staffs Association (AMSSANTSA) after a meeting held in his office chamber, on Thursday.

Over 1200 non-teaching staff under the SSA are staging an indefinite sit-in-demonstration at Malki ground after rejecting the state government’s decision to enhance their salary by only 25 per cent. The agitating employees are demanding 80 percent salary enhancement plus 2 percent based on seniority and 5 per cent annual increment.

“Our stand is if they further delay, we will not withdraw our agitation. Therefore, the government should immediately make a decision so that we can go back home. We make it clear that we are not interested in agitating like this,” the president had stated.

Spelling out the 7-point terms of reference (ToR), the notification issued by the education department said that the committee has been tasked with the responsibility to examine all the proposals received thus far pertaining to the enhancement of salaries of all Non-Academic staff of SSA.

It said that the committee shall study the pay structures of other societies in the state of Meghalaya and also make a reference to the pay structures followed in other similar institutions besides the committee will study and suggest steps to eliminate all the disparity in pay levels of similar posts across various districts and blocks.

“The committee shall also examine the proposals received pertaining to the annual increment to such staff. The committee shall consider the length of service for rationalisation of salaries. The committee shall also make suggestions and recommendations related to the rationalisation of posts of different categories. The committee shall ensure that the guidelines and directions issued by Finance department from time to time are adhered to while making the recommendation,” the notification added.