Varsity staff call off strike after 3 months

RANCHI: The non-teaching staff of the five universities in the state, who have been on strike since February 19, called off their agitation on Sunday following the governor's appeal.
The decision was taken in an emergency meeting called by members of the Jharkhand Non Teaching Staff Association (JNTSA) on Sunday after governor Syed Ahmed's appeal was telecast on local channels on Saturday.
Shivji Tiwari, chairman of the JNTSA, said, "The governor in his appeal has assured all the employees that their demands will be fulfilled soon." The emergency meeting was attended by the members of the Jharkhand Vishwavidyalya and Mahavidylaya Karamchari Maha Sangh of all the five universities namely Ranchi University, Nilamber Pitamber University, Kolhan University, Sidho Kanhu Murmu University and Vinoba Bhave University.
Lalit Kumar Singh, state president of the Maha Sangh, said, "We have decided to join work on May 20 following the governor's appeal. He has assured to form a committee that will look into our demands."
However, Singh also said the Maha Sangh would keep tabs on the committee's work for a month and if the panel fails to meet their demands, the strike may be resumed.
Official works, including teaching and issuing of certificates to students, were affected leading to delay in holding many exams. The three-month long strike saw several protests and demonstrations in front of the Raj Bhavan and the vice-chancellors' offices.
On Saturday, around 600 employees from all universities were held after threats of collective self-immolation in front of the governor's house and were taken into custody by the security personnel at the Bihar Club. The agitators were taken to Birsa Munda football stadium and were held for hours before they were released in the evening.
Meanwhile, half of the employees of the universities have already joined work after the human resource department's ultimatum to resume their duties latest by 5pm on May 17.
The association has been demanding fixation of pay, increase in retirement age from 60 to 62 years and implementation of sixth and fifth pay commission for more than 30% of the employees.