The strike by non-teaching employees of the Odisha University of Agriculture and Technology (OUAT) entered its fourth phase on Monday with the agitating employees resorting to relay dharna in front of the Vice-Chancellor’s office to press their five-point charter of demands. The employees under the banner of the OUAT Nonteaching and Technical Employees’ Association have gone on the agitation expressing their solidarity to the agitation call given by the All Odisha University Employees’ Federation (AOUEF).
They have been demanding introduction of a new cadre rule at par with the Odisha Secretariat staff, amendment of Odisha University Recruitment and Promotional Rule, 1991 and implementation of revised assured career progression scheme (RACPS), enhancement of age of superannuation from 60 to 62 and filing up of all vacant posts. OUAT Nonteaching and Technical Employees’ Association president PK Das said the employees have been staging black badge protest from May 13 to decry the prolonged negligence and step-motherly attitude of the Government towards their demands.
In the first stage of their agitation, the employees wore black badges from May 13 to 15. The agitation entered the second stage from May 18 with the employees resorting to work to rule principle. In third phase the agitators staged demonstration in front of the gates of the universities on May 20 and 21. In the fourth phase, the employees sat on relay dharna on Monday which would continue till May 27. “lastly, we have planned to hold a rally to the Chancellor’s office to submit a memorandum on June 4 if the demands are not met by then,” said association general secretary JK Mohanty.