More than 13,000 teachers of the North and East Delhi Municipal Corporations are threatening to go on indefinite strike to protest against the non-payment of salaries. While the teachers of the North Delhi Municipal Corporation (NDMC) have not received their wages since June, those of East Delhi Municipal Corporation (EDMC) have not been paid since July 2020.
For the past 13 days, it is not just the teachers, but also the nurses, sanitation workers and parademics of the Kasturba Hospital run by the NDMC who have been protesting against non-payment of salaries.
Failing the immediate payment of their salaries, the teachers have threatened to disturb the upcoming meetings of the corporations scheduled for September 28 and 29.
Some of these teachers have been agitating for two hours every day, after work, for almost 26 days now, outside the headquarters of the NDMC, the Civic Centre.
These teachers, who have been working throughout the pandemic, are struggling to pay the fees of their own children, their house rent and the EMIs.
More than 9,000 teachers are employed by the NDMC, whereas about 4,200 are working for the EDMC, and all of them claim to have been working throughout these troubling times, even though they were not being paid, so that their students’ studies are not disrupted.
While the municipal corporations and the administration have been blaming each other for lack of funds or for the non-release of funds, it is the innocent employees, who are bearing the brunt. The Government claims to have released the funds, while the corporations maintain that they have not received them.
The mayor of the East Corporation has said that they may even go to court if the matter is not resolved. The mayor of the NDCM has assured that he will meet the employees to discuss the issue and try to resolve the matter.
