IIT Madras faculty to boycott classes from Aug 21Faculty at IIT Delhi to go on mass leave from Tuesday

NEW DELHI: The faculty at IIT Delhi has decided to go on mass leave for on Tuesday to protest the recommendations of the Sixth Pay Commission. The
faculty members will also wear black badges from Monday.

The Faculty Forum of IITD decided in its general body meeting on Saturday that its members will take a casual leave to mark their protest and may hold a protest march on the Teachers' Day if the government fails to take any measures before that.

Said S S Murthy, president of Faculty Forum: "Even PSU employees and our own students earn better than us when they join the MNCs. This is why we have decided to protest against the recommendations of the sixth pay commission now.''

CHENNAI: Faculty members of the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT Madras) have decided to stay off classes from Friday to express their strong
displeasure over the revised pay scales that was notified by the union human resources development ministry two days ago. The IIT Madras Faculty Association (IMFA) also informed the institute director of the decision.

The revised pay scale for different categories of teaching faculty lecturers, assistant professors, associate professors and professors are far below the University Grants Commission (UGC) pay scales that have been announced for teachers of arts and science colleges and universities.

"Our general body decided that all faculty members will stop taking classes from Friday. We are also requesting faculty members to resign from their administrative positions such as deans and headship of special centres. We are also urging faculty members not to mentor the IIT Hyderabad, established last year. This is to express our displeasure over the undignified pay revision announced by the ministry," M Thenmozhi, president, IMFA said on Thursday.

Pointing out that even at the level of assistant professor, the revised pay scales for IIT faculty was at least Rs 9,000 less than what a teacher earned in an arts and science college under the sixth pay commission, she said "we would be better off working in arts colleges."

The mood of dissatisfaction was evident at the meeting of the IMFA on Thursday. "The professional obligations and performance expectations of an IIT faculty is higher, which automatically warrants higher compensation. The All India faculty association has conveyed that we should not conduct class until a favourable decision is taken" Thenmozhi said.

"Some bureaucrats appear to be behind awarding us this raw deal. They should realise that unlike them, we don't come to the IITs just after post-graduation. We slog it out to complete PhD before joining as assistant professors," a senior faculty member said.