Non-teaching staff at National Institute of Technology flay recovery of benefits

Kozhikode: The non-teaching staff of the National Institute of Technology, Calicut on Tuesday held a dharna in front of the campus, against the recovery of their benefits. According to the joint action council, it was injustice to recover the benefits they received from 2012 after the decision of the NIT board. However, NIC registrar Lt Col Pankajakshan K. said that the employees themselves opted for the Central pay scale, when the Regional Engineering College (REC) was elevated to NIT.

“REC was elevated as NIT-C as a centrally funded autonomous Institute in 2002. The complete funding was taken over by the Government of India from April 1, 2004. The non-faculty members of the REC were drawing the scale of pay at par with the state government pay scales. Upon conversion, the Government of India ordered rationalization of the pay scale of non-faculty members to Central Government pay scales, from the financial year 2004. Thus, while shifting the salary benefits, as per CCS rules, an employee is eligible for the option period of one year until March 31, 2005,” said Ajayachandran VR, representative of the joint action council.

He added that in the same period, the state government had announced pay revision and considering this fact, the Board of Governors resolved to extend the benefits of the 8th pay revision before rationalization as per resolution No.18.04 and accordingly the benefits were given from 2012. “Now, after around five years, the MHRD issued an order stating that this benefit has to be recovered from the employees, which is a unilateral decision of the Ministry violating the autonomy bestowed on the Institution and interpreting the rules to controvert the legal benefits of low salaried employees ,” the protesters said.