2 years on, teachers struggle for revised pay

Nearly two years after the 7th Pay Commission was implemented in Punjab’s colleges following a state government notification, several private aided and unaided colleges — especially those affiliated with Guru Nanak Dev University (GNDU) — have yet to uniformly adopt the revised pay scales. The ongoing non-compliance has triggered widespread protests from teaching staff, who allege they are being unfairly denied salaries they are legally entitled to.

The Association of United College Teachers (AUCT), representing college faculty across Punjab and Chandigarh, recently met with GNDU Vice-Chancellor Prof Karamjeet Singh to urge him to ensure the implementation of the 7th Pay Commission recommendations in all GNDU-affiliated colleges.

“Contractual staff, including assistant professors and ad hoc teachers, are still being paid under the 6th Pay Commission scales, despite the state government’s notification enforcing the 7th Pay Commission,” said Prof Tarun Ghai from AUCT. “While the revised pay has already been implemented for regular staff at Panjab University and Guru Nanak Dev University, many affiliated colleges continue to deny these benefits.”

Faculty members — regular, ad-hoc and guest — are legally entitled to get paid under the UGC 2018 guidelines, which include the 7th Pay Commission scale. Contractual faculty at both Panjab University and GNDU have already been receiving this revised pay, making the disparity more glaring in affiliated institutions.

The AUCT delegation informed the Vice-Chancellor that GNDU had already delayed the implementation by over two and a half years. “Yet, even 40 days after the meeting, no directive has been issued by the university to the management of affiliated colleges, and no visible action has been taken,” said Prof Ghai.

Teachers from colleges under the DAV management, including BBKDAV College and DAV College, Hathi Gate, Amritsar, also staged a three-day dharna demanding implementation of the revised pay scales. “The managements continue to submit salary slips based on the 6th Pay Commission. The Education Department must reject these and ensure uniform implementation of the 7th Pay Commission without discrimination,” said Dr Seema Jaitley, executive committee member of the Punjab and Chandigarh College Teachers Union (PCCTU) and unit head at BBKDAV College, Lawrence Road.

At DAV College, Ashu Vij, Secretary of the local PCCTU unit, said despite repeated reminders and previous agitations, their concerns remain unaddressed. The key issues such as the implementation of the 7th Pay Commission, Provident Fund (PF) payment on full salaries for 1,925 posts, pending Career Advancement Scheme (CAS) promotions and release of arrears remain unresolved. “This borders on harassment and violates the state government’s directives to implement of 7th Pay Commission,” said Vij.

Adding to the disparity, Khalsa College — which recently gained autonomy and now functions under Khalsa University — has already implemented the 7th Pay Commission pay scales. This move has further fuelled demands from faculty in other private colleges affiliated with GNDU and state universities to receive the upgraded salaries as well.

Amritsar