Teaching and non-teaching staff of society colleges in the Union Territory began an indefinite sit-in-strike from Tuesday to press their demand of immediate implementation of the 7th pay commission recommendations.

According to a release from the Puducherry Government Society College Staff (Teaching and non-Teaching) Joint Action Committee, more than 4500 staffs (teachers and non-teaching staffs) of the 21 society colleges in the UT were organising a series of agitations to press the implementation of the Seventh Pay Commission recommendations to them and held a sit-in-strike from January 18 to January 28 this year.

Chief Minister V Narayanasamy who held talks with them assured to implement the same to them along with the government college teachers, following which they dropped their agitation.

However, contrary to his assurance, the same was implemented to the government college teachers on February 26. Following a representation to the Chief Minister, an approval to implement the 7th pay commission recommendations to the society college teachers was obtained in a cabinet meeting on March 7 and assured to issue government order shortly.

Nothing materialised and when the staff prepared to go on strike from July they were pacified by stating that the GO will be issued after obtaining the nod of Finance Department. Accordingly, the approval of the Finance department was obtained on June 27.

Since, no initiative was there to issue GO, the staffs met the Chief Minister on July 29 and gave a notice that they will go on strike if the GO was not issued forthwith. Since nothing was materialised, they resorted to the indefinite sit-in strike from today.