Tamil Nadu govt to cut salaries of striking teachers

CHENNAI: The Tamil Nadu govt has decided to cut the salaries of secondary grade teachers who have been on strike for the past 10 days. The state countered the protesters’ slogan of “equal work, equal pay” with its own remark – “no work, no pay,” and said that the pay cut would be implemented with effect from Jan 5 -- the day that schools reopened after the half-yearly exam holidays. The govt said it made the decision keeping in mind the “deterioration” of students’ learning due to absence of teachers in classrooms. The govt has directed district authorities to submit details of teachers who have not reported to duty in view of the protest from Jan 5. Members of the Secondary Grade Seniority Teachers’ Association, who led the protest, were unavailable for comments.