Odisha Primary School Teachers Threaten Strike From January 29

Bhubaneswar: The Primary School Teachers’ Association in Odisha has threatened to go on strike again from January 29 if the state government fails to fulfil their three-point charter of demands.

Speaking to media persons on Sunday, president of the Association Brahmananda Maharana said following their strike in September, 2023, an inter-ministerial committee had assured of taking steps for fulfilling the demands by December.

But the government has failed to take any steps on its assurance of meeting the demands. “We will wait till January 27 for the government action on our demands. If no step is taken till then, we will again resort to agitation from January 29,” Maharana said.

As part of the agitation, hundreds of teachers from across the state will assembly at the Lower PMG in Bhubaneswar and stage a demonstration, he added.

The teachers’ demands include equal pay for equal work, abolition of the new pension scheme and adoption of the old one and counting the contractual teachers as regular staff by paying them six-year’s increment.

Maharana said if the government does not initiate any step after our agitation on January 29, the teachers will intensify the strike all over the state.

It may be noted that the primary school teachers had resorted to mass leave for around 10 days in September last year to press their demands. They had withdrawn their protest following a meeting of the interministerial committee and government’s assurance to take necessary steps by end of the year. But they had warned of resuming the agitation if the government went back on its words.