Call to fulfill CM’s ‘promise’ of inviting trainers for talks
Shillong, Sept 2: Vocational trainers under the Meghalaya Vocational Education Trainers’ Union on Wednesday staged a demonstration, demanding for enhanced salary and pay parity under the “equal work equal pay” principle.
The vocational trainers, who handle Classes IX to XII across secondary and higher secondary schools, have been pursuing the demand for years.
The Union representatives – there are 321 trainers under the Union – had met Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma in May at Students’ Field, Jaiaw when he stopped his car to interact with them and assured that he would call them for talks, Union president Aiban Suchiang said.
That assurance, he said, is yet to materialise.
“Our demand is simple – increment and a new pay structure that ensures equal work equal pay. This has been pending for a very long time,” Suchiang said.
According to the Union, trainers handling secondary classes (IX-X) who have crossed three years of service receive Rs 24,000, while those handling both secondary and higher secondary (IX-XII) with over three years get Rs 30,000.
“The remuneration does not match the work. We teach from secondary to higher secondary level and our subjects are practical-based – 30 marks theory, 50 practical and 20 internal,” Suchiang said.
Vocational trades taught by them include Information Technology, Electronics, Tourism & Hospitality, Beauty & Wellness, Healthcare and others.
Suchiang said the Union deliberately kept Wednesday’s protest low-key but cautioned that it will escalate if the government continues to ignore their demand.
“This is a peaceful protest today. We did not want to mobilise in large numbers. Next time if the government does not invite us for talks and does not listen, we will think of other forms of protest and we will come in larger numbers,” he added.
The Union said this is a long-pending demand and the lack of response forced them to come out on the streets.
