UoH staff on warpath as benefits scrapped

HYDERABAD: The nonteaching staff of the University of Hyderabad, who have struck work for the past four days in protest against the recent decision to scrap two schemes for the employees, staged a demonstration in front of the vice-chancellor’s office on Wednesday.The varsity during the term of the former vicechancellor Prof Seyed E Hasnain, had implemented ‘Part-B’ pay scales for certain categories of employees and the ‘Plus 8’ scheme of financial upgradation for nonteaching staff from March 2008, depending upon approval from the University Grants Commission and ministry of human resource and development.Turning down the request, the UGC has sent 14 letters, directing the withdrawal of these unapproved schemes.Hence, the UoH authorities were left with no choice but to scrap the schemes and also recover the excess payments made to the employees.Part B scale benefits are extended to technical and library staff while the Plus 8 scheme ensures upgradation of nonteaching employees every eight years.The UGC notice also stated “the university has been imposed with a penalty of `6.38 crore for having implemented these un-approved schemes and this amount would lapse from the grants if these schemes were not withdrawn.” “There are around 400 employees who would be affected by this decision,” said Sudheer Kumar, general secretary, University of Hyderabad Non-teaching Employees’ Association.Sudharshan Singh, office assistant at plant sciences department said, “Each employee will have to bear a deduction of `10,000- `15,000 due to withdrawal of the schemes.” Another employee under the condition of anonymity said, “The former VC Prof Hasnain had given away such schemes to silence the nonteaching staff against his administrational irregularities.” Current vice-chancellor Prof Ramakrishna Ramaswamy appealed to the nonteaching staff to cooperate with the authorities.He said they were making efforts to obtain approval from the UGC and MHRD to extend benefits of financial upgradation schemes as extended to the Delhi University or JNU.