Mangalore, Jan 23: Non-teaching staff of Kasturba Medical College staged a silent protest in front of the college on January 22, Wednesday demanding to increase the pay scales as per the state or the central government.
Initially the protest was peacefully conducted but after some time the situation was intensified as they came out of the institution and demanded a revision in their salaries.Several non-teaching staff like AC mechanics, accountants, blood bank technicians, cleaners, clerks, dark room assistance’s, general duty workers, laboratory technicians and others joined the protest.
Addressing the protestors, Manipal University Employees’ Union president Purushotham K M said that the non teaching staffs of the institution used to get full salary as per the state government salary guidelines till 1996, but later it was stopped. Now the institution has 1000 non-teaching staffs and when asked about the pay scale with the management, it has not given any satisfactory response.
He also said that even though basic salary as per state government guidelines starts from Rs 9,600, non-teaching staff get only Rs 4,000, which not even half of the salary as per government rules. The employees are not even given proper incentives; this is injustice towards the staffs. Teaching staff and doctors have also supported the protest and hence the management should provide suitable salary for all non-teaching staffs of the institution.
Bharatiya Mazdoor Sangh district president K Vishwanath Shetty said that most of the non teaching staffs working in the institution come from middle class families. Hence the institution must revise the salary structure as per the state or central government pay scale.
Sudarshan, president of Manipal University Non-teaching Employees’ Association said, ” Despite of a peaceful protest our HR management has failed to consider our demands , hence the management should provide the state or the central government pay scale and extend the age of retirement from 58 years to 60 years.”
Suraj, vice-president of Manipal University Employees’ Union, and Nagaraj, secretary of Manipal University Non-teaching Employees’ Association were present.
