OU contract professors up in arms over pay hike
Osmania University: The Osmania University assistant professors working on contract basis are up in arms yet again. About 1,500 contract assistant professors of Osmania University warned the administration of starting an agitation if their salaries were not increased.
• In April the State govt had issued a GO increasing the remuneration of contractual faculty
• The contractual assistant professors met VC and Registrar of OU umpteen number of times
• Over 1,500 agitating lecturers have given an ultimatum to implement GO by Friday
Earlier, this year in April, the State government issued a GO increasing the remuneration of contractual faculty and part-time teachers of the 11 state universities. The OU contract assistant professors have been demanding for the implementation of the GO and asked the OU vice chancellor to issue the order by Friday, failing which they would go on a massive agitation.
In April, deputy CM Kadiyam Srihari released a copy of GO in the presence of the contract assistant professors. The contract lecturers met the vice-chancellor and registrar umpteen number of times, informed a professor. On Wednesday agitators had a quarrel with VC on order copy. Vice-chancellor Prof S Ramachandram assured to implement GO on or before May 22.
The agitating professors decided that they draw the plan of action after Friday if the GO was not implemented. OU contract assistant professors president D Dharmateja demands immediate implementation of pay hike.
UTA(C) TS president Parusuram demands immediate release of order copy. Dharmateja says, “Contract assistant professors who are presently being paid Rs 24,000 would be getting Rs 43, 000 per month and those who have put in more than 20 years of service would be entitled to Rs 70,000 per month.”
A professor who did not want to be named said, “The OU is testing our patience. If the order copy is not issued and the process of increasing the salaries is not started we are planning to go on a massive agitation.