An assistant professor at a Bengaluru engineering college handed in his resignation after a decade of sincere service. Why? He got no pay hike in the last 10 years! As if that wasn’t enough, he was not entertained whenever he wished to discuss the matter with the college principal. Therefore, the professor does not know why his salary remained stagnant when even his juniors earned more than he did.
The said professor had always received a positive feedback from students and had worked hard, putting in extra hours. Yet, no increments came his way. He was not paid any Employees’ Provident Fund (EPF) either. Additionally, his pay structure was recently altered, which led to the dearness allowance (DA) being reduced from 115 per cent to 30 per cent, with 85 per cent being added to other allowances. This adversely affected his gratuity, which will now be less than half, he complains.
The principal always refused to discuss the professor’s issue without the presence of the head of department or HOD, who had his own favourites who had it easier than the others.
Despite 10 years of loyalty and sincerity, the professor is hurt by the fact that nobody questioned his resignation or asked for a reason. Nobody tried to convince him to stay either, which has led him to believe that “Honesty and loyalty have no meaning in this world.”
His viral post invited comments from users who pointed out how the work culture in Bengaluru needs an overhaul. Some users have encouraged the professor to use various channels to bring the matter out into the open and fight for his right; that it is a crime to deny EPF to employees.
