[ Bengia Ajum ]

ITANAGAR, 8 Jun: The Arunachal Pradesh Teacher Educators’ Association (APTEA) has announced that it will go ahead with an indefinite pen-down strike from 15 June onwards if the state government does not accept its demand for timely release of salaries of SCERT and DIET employees through the state head.

So far, the association has conducted two phases of pen-down strikes, with the first phase held on 29 May and the second phase on 4 and 5 June.

Alleging that the state government is not taking their demand seriously, the association has announced that it will proceed with the indefinite pen-down strike.

“Till now, we have not received a positive response from the government, particularly from the political leadership. If they call us for deliberations, we are ready to meet. We do not want to resort to a pen-down strike, but we are left with no choice,” said APTEA president Tayon Dai.

He said also that the problem started in 2019, and that the government has yet to find a solution.

“We are regular state government employees serving in all eleven District Institutes of Education and Training (DIETs) across the state and have been facing persistent irregularities in the disbursement of salaries since 2019. Despite being duly appointed regular government employees, and despite the issue remaining unresolved for more than eight long years, the 103 affected employees have continued to discharge their duties with utmost sincerity and dedication while enduring considerable financial hardship,” he added.

Dai further stated that the association would not back down until it receives a written assurance from the authorities addressing its demand.

The irregular disbursement of salaries has caused immense hardship to the employees.

“Our bank credit scores are being affected. Sometimes our accounts even get blocked. We have to face so many difficulties despite being regular employees. We are tired of this hardship,” said a DIET employee.

The association claimed that it has submitted numerous representations and memorandums to the competent authorities, repeatedly apprising them of the gravity of the situation and seeking timely intervention. However, despite sustained efforts and repeated appeals, no concrete assurance or effective measures have been undertaken to resolve the issue to date, it alleged.

“We have met the commissioner of education and the education minister several times in the past. We have briefed them about our problems in detail, but nothing is happening,” another employee said.

When contacted, Education Minister PD Sona told this daily that he is ready to meet APTEA members at any time to discuss the issue.

“I have made it very clear that I am ready to meet them anytime. However, it is a technical issue, and they should also meet the commissioner to address the nitty-gritty of the matter,” said Sona.

He added that the department is aware of the problem. “This is an issue that has been ongoing since 2019. It involves significant financial implications, and before arriving at a conclusion, we will have to hold detailed discussions. Besides the Education Department, the Finance Department will also be involved in the discussions,” Sona said.

Meanwhile, the Education Department has disbursed the pending salaries of DIET employees for the months of April and May.