PMK wants government to resolve teachers' salary issue

CHENNAI: Condemning the arrest of intermediate teachers, who are demanding equal pay based on qualification, PMK president Anbumani Ramadoss urged the government to hold talks with the protesting teachers.

In a statement, Anbumani said that there is a huge salary anomaly between intermediate teachers appointed till May 31, 2009 and teachers appointed after June 1, 2009. The former category of teachers are getting Rs. 9,300 as basic pay per month while the latter category receives Rs. 5,200 per month as basic pay.

"It is unfair that the difference in the pay for teachers, who are doing the same work. As the anomaly has been there for 15 years, the teachers started their protest on February 19. They were arrested on that day and again on February 20," he added.

Anbumani recalled that Chief Minister MK Stalin, when he was the leader of opposition, demanded the government to fix the anomaly and he met the teachers during a protest in 2018.

"It is injustice to oppress teachers who are protesting for their salary. The government should hold talks with the teachers and fulfill their demands, " he urged.

In another statement, PMK founder S Ramadoss expressed shock over the government's action of preventing farmers of Melma, near Cheyyar, who were heading to Chennai to meet MK Stalin.

"The farmers were heading to Chennai from Cheyyar to demand the CM remove EV Velu from the minister post. It is condemnable that the government is willing to respect the basic rights of the farmers. The farmers are protesting against land acquisition for SIPCOT expansion. They have been protesting for the last 200 days, " Ramadoss added.

He opined that even though the budget session is ongoing in the state assembly, there is no bar preventing CM from meeting the farmers. "It is not fair to release the agriculture budget on one side and oppress the farmers on the other side, " he said.