The state government has found that there is pay disparity among the SSA non-teaching staff particularly those at the block level.
Commissioner and Secretary of the Education Department Vijay Mantri today said the staff working as Block Resource Person (BRP), Cluster Resource Person (CRP) were not included in the recent notification for increment of salary and hence were agitated.
He said the staff are satisfied with the proposed increment being worked out by the government and they termed it a “reasonable” increment.
Out of 1,474 staff in total, 847 of them are working as BRP and CRP.
Yesterday, the All Meghalaya SSA Non Teaching Staffs Association (AMSSANTSA) expressed satisfaction after meeting with Mantri concerning their case for a pay rise but their agitation will continue until the state government provides a written assurance that their demands will be met.
It is learnt that the pay increment would cost the state an additional financial burden of Rs 9 crore annually from the current expenditure of Rs 33 crore.
What concerns the department is at the block level, the staff are paid Rs 8,000 which is below the minimum wage. Hence, in some of the post there will be a 100 per cent increment.
It was also informed that for some posts like coordinator consultant administrative officers are getting Rs 35,000 salary per month whereas accountants who are working for 0-5 years get Rs 28,750. The senior accountant working for 10-15 years get Rs 30,000 and with the increment, they will get around Rs 37,000.
Meanwhile, Education Minister Rakkam A Sangma also admitted that the salary structure of the non-teaching staff is not systematic and said that the protest was genuine.
Sangma said that no one should be left out as far as structured salary is concerned and called on the staff to call off their agitation as the government is working positively towards their demands.
More than 1,200 non-teaching staff under the SSA are on an indefinite sit-in at Malki ground here. The staff have been agitating for an 80 per cent pay rise while the government was only willing at first to agree to 25 per cent. This and other issues will be studied by a ‘rationalisation’ committee formed with government and AMSSANTSA members.
