IMPHAL, May 14: There is fear of another total paralysis of the state academic atmosphere in various government run educational institutions of the state as the Council of Teachers’ Association (COTA) is tending towards the resumption of their suspended cease work strike in connection with the non-implementation of the 6th Central Revise pay in toto by the state government; and the teachers under COTA observing May 17 as ‘Black day’.Stating this, N Arunkumar, convenor (COTA) during the press conference held this afternoon at Bhairondan Hindi High School, Thangal Bazar, has mentioned that the teachers hare left unhappy and unsatisfied with the failure of the state government to fulfill the teachers’ demand of implementation of the 6th central revised pay scale in toto. He further mentioned that as a part of their first initiative action against the inactiveness of the state government and in rememberance of the mass arrest of members of the association who were on agitation demanding the in toto implementation of the 6th Central revised pay last year, the association will be observing May 17 as ‘Black Day’ at the Thau ground, Thangmeiband.He further mentioned that this time around COTA will join hands with JAC of AMTUC and AMGEO, Manipur State Pensioners’ Union, and the Manipur Secretariat Service Association in their agitations in case the government fails to fulfill their justifiable demands at the earliest.He further recalled that, the COTA has been organizing various forms of agitations since May last year against the non-implementation of the pay scale and a number of agreements have been signed between the agitating group and the government with the most recent agreement signed on March 3 this year.He further added that the in the last agreement signed on March 3, the government had assured to issue the official notification for the implementation of the 6th Central Revised pay by April 1 which was last month, however the government has totally ignored the agreement and has remained silent till date.The COTA convenor further charged that a state government which could not consider the demands and subsequent welfare of the teacher community of the state indicates the total negligence of the state government towards the maintaining of a good academic atmosphere in the state, and as such the teachers of the state is planning and preparing for another serious agitation against the state government, he added.Meanwhile a statement of the JAC of All Manipur Trade Union Councils (AMTUC) and All Manipur Government Employees Organisation (AMGEO) has stated that the JAC in connivance with the Manipur Secretariat Services Association and Manipur Pensioners’ Union will be observing May 17 as ‘Dark Day’ at Thau ground.It has stated that the objective of observing the day is to recall the prolonged impasse arising out of the various form of agitation launched by the joint bodies demanding the implementation of the 6th central pay commission in toto which has been deprived by the state government.The employees had launched a four month cease work strike while the pensioners launched a delay hunger strike that lasted 105 days last year. On, May 17, 2010, the employees were invited for talks by the chief minister of Manipur at his office chamber however it had failed, it said.The same day as the employees, labourers and pensioners were gathered at the JAC’s office to discuss about the development, they were all arrested by the police and lodged in the lock up for two days.Terming the act of the Government undemocratic for using brutal force against the agitating employees, labourers and old pensioners, it said that May 17 will be observed as “Dark Day” annually to mark the day.It urged the entire employees, labourer and pensioners in the state to take part in the observation and also to take a consensus decision to save the rights of the employees which has been deprived by the government, it added.It informed that the observation will starts from 12:30 pm.
