Join work, state will safeguard your salaries, CM to protesting teachers
Kolkata: Accusing the Opposition of instigating protests, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, on Tuesday, appealed to the WBSSC teachers, who are demonstrating against invalidation of their appointments in, to return to work while assuring that the state government will safeguard their salaries.
‘Why are the teachers sitting all night? We have filed a review petition before the Supreme Court. You go back to work and conduct classes peacefully. You don’t have to worry about salaries. You will receive the same,” Banerjee said at a distribution programme at West Midnapore on Tuesday.
Accusing the Opposition of “snatching jobs”, Banerjee said: “We give jobs, they take jobs. Don’t trust those who took away jobs. Trust me, I don’t want to see any unemployed person in my state. For Group C and Group D recruitees, we will again go for review (petition) if required. Let us consult our lawyers. We cannot do anything above the law and we are trying to do what can be done legally.” She alleged instigation by the Opposition for continuing protests and accused them of filing another case seeking cancellation of recruitment of 35000 primary teachers.
“Politics should not always be done with a demonic face, there needs to be a humanitarian side to it,” she reiterated.
“I have called our people in Kolkata at least 10 times since Monday evening. Had I been there I would have solved the issue in a second. Till midnight, I held conversations over the phone. What I understand is some people are still being rigid in their demand for segregation of the tainted and untainted,” said Banerjee.
“Why are you (teachers) bothered about who is tainted and untainted? The government and the court are looking into it. You should be concerned about your job and salary. You will get your jobs back,” the Chief Minister promised. Referring to BJP-ruled states, Uttar Pradesh and Tripura, where teachers have lost their jobs, Banerjee said: “In Uttar Pradesh 69000 school teachers lost their jobs. No one was reinstated. In Tripura, the BJP promised 10000 sacked teachers will get back their jobs if they were voted to power. They won the elections but not a single teacher has got back their job. Instead, they were subjected to baton charges when they protested.”
Around 25,753 schoolteachers and non-teaching staff from the 2016 WBSSC panel were dismissed by the Supreme Court on April 3. On April 17, the Supreme Court, after reviewing a petition filed by the state, permitted only the “untainted” schoolteachers to continue in service and directed the Bengal government to complete the recruitment process by December 31.
However, the top court clarified that its relief did not extend to Group ‘C’ and Group ‘D’ employees appointed in state-run and aided schools due to massive irregularities in their recruitment.
