The faculty from various Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs) have set a limit of September 4 for the Union human resource development ministry to respond to their pay demands, failing which they said they will intensify their protest by boycott of classes and resignation from administrative positions.
The teaching staff at all IITs are demanding a better pay structure than the one which was recently approved for them.
The decision was taken at a meeting today at the IIT here and a memorandum was given in this regard to a deputy secretary in the HRD ministry who was present, said M Thenmozhi, president, All India IIT Faculty Federation. Directors from across the IITs participated in today’s meeting, she added.
“The classes will continue till September 4. If the ministry has not responded, we will start our protest,” said Thenmozhi. The executive committee of the All India Faculty Federation also met to plan further schedules of protest. But the mentoring of new IITs by the established ones will not be held back, as it will affect them severely, according to a professor of the IIT here.
The faculty of all IITs took a day’s mass casual leave on August 21 as a first mark of protest. According to the new pay scheme, IIT Directors get Rs 80, 000 a month and the professors with Rs 55,000. The earlier revision for IIT staff was in 1999.