SSA school teachers in Garo Hills have demanded full payment of their five months pending salaries by December 21 and decided to go for another round of hunger strike on Christmas Day, if the demand is not met.
The teachers under the banner of the All Garo Hills SSA School Teachers’ Association (AGHSSASTA), had earlier gone on a hunger strike in Tura on December 1 in an effort to ensure the release of their pending dues. However instead of a salary release, the teachers have now added another month to their already unpaid monthly dues.
“After our hunger strike, we expect the government to respond positively to our demands but there has been no word from the government or the minister concerned regarding our pending dues. We are aware that the centre has already released funds for the SSA teachers, so we are at a loss to understand as to why these are still not paid to us yet,” said publicity secretary, Bunbunbirth Marak.
Many teachers from within the state have had a rather gruesome past five months with the education of their children as well as the well-being of their families being put at stake as they grapple with food and clothing. With the holiday season around the corner, the teachers fear the worst if their dues are not paid.
“We demand the government clear all five months pending salaries (from August) before December 21. If the government fails to do so, we will not be celebrating Christmas but going on an indefinite hunger strike on December 24 and 25,” said Marak.
The teachers will be agitating in front of the homes of Chief Minister, Conrad Sangma, Tura MP, Agatha Sangma as well as the Shillong secretariat.
“How long do we live without money? This is already the darkest Christmas for most of us and will get darker in the coming days if we are not paid our dues. How do we even show our faces to our families during the Holiday season,” asked the publicity secretary.
