STATE TIMES NEWS
KATRA: After three days of peaceful protest of non-teaching forum of SMVDU, the administration of the University has urged the agitating staffers to withdraw the protest following the controversial termination order of a female employee working with SMVDU for past 10 years. The request by the authorities to withdraw the agitation was an outcome of assurance given by the administration to the agitating staffers that all their genuine demands will be met.
The Non-teaching forum, while agreeing to withdraw the protest agitation, conveyed to the administration that the protest shall resume in case the administration fails to cancel the said arbitrary, discriminatory and illegal order.
During the initial round of talks with the University administration, the Non-Teaching Forum had demanded for abolition of the draconian contract system for non-teaching employees, in vogue since the inception of the institution and which has been used by the University administration as a tool to harass and hound the Non Teaching staff, thereby creating a suffocating working environment within this great institution of higher learning.
SMVDU being the state university, the Non Teaching Forum also reiterated their long pending demand for release of all the allowances viz. Children education allowance, Travelling allowance, enhanced HRA etc at the same rates as applicable to rest of the employees of UT and other Universities within the UT of J&K. Another demand raised by the said Forum was regarding implementation of New Pension scheme for the employees who till now were left in the lurch due to extremely arbitrary service contract provisions, which were absolutely against the interests of Non Teaching employees.
In the exchange between protesting employees and the administration, it was also conveyed to the authorities to accord due recognition to the Non-teaching Forum on the lines of Jammu University and also demanded to give non-teaching officials proper representation in all matters pertaining to the policy decisions taken by the University administration in respect of Non-teaching staff, in order to end the gross discrimination faced by the said Forum.