A group of non-teaching staff of the Indian Institute of Technology in Powai here have moved the Bombay High Court challenging the decision of Union Government to pay higher wages to the teaching staff of IIT. Hearing the petition filed by H G Patil, B B Nare and other non-teaching employees of IIT, Justice Sharad Bobade and Justice Rajesh Ketkar last week asked the Central Government to file an affidavit in reply by September 13.

The petitioners argued through their lawyer Vishwasrao Deokar that although the third, fourth and fifth Pay Commissions had recommended parity in wages for non-teaching and teaching staff of IIT, the Centre had discriminated in the payment of salaries by paying teaching staff (junior engineers and technical assistants) higher wages.

In IIT, Powai, there are 46 non-teaching staff working as office assistants, stenographers, senior telephone operators and assistant registrars. They have demanded that they be given the same salary grade, which is given to junior technical assistants or junior engineers (teaching staff). The petitioners claimed that prior to 1986, both teaching and non-teaching staff were getting same salaries. However, in 1986, the Government gave higher pay scales to the teaching staff i.e. junior engineers and junior technical assistants.

Being aggrieved, the non-teaching staff filed a petition in the Bombay High Court challenging the order of the Government fixing different pay scales for teaching and non-teaching staff. On June 22, 2008, the High Court had allowed their petition and quashed the order of the Government fixing different pay scales for both categories, teaching and non teaching staff. The Court also asked the Central Government to consider the demand of non teaching staff for parity in wages given to teaching staff.

As the Government did not consider their demand, a legal notice was served to them. The non teaching staff contended that as they did not get the same wages earned by the teaching staff, each employee suffered loss of Rs 5400 per month. They argued that although their nature of work differed from that of the teaching staff, the quantum and quality of work remained the same for both the categories.

On April 6 last year, the Central Government again put the teaching staff on higher pay scales. Being aggrieved, the non teaching staff filed a petition last month in the High Court seeking parity in wages and also demanded arrears since 1986.



Keywords: non-teaching staff , Indian Institute of Technology, Bombay High Court ,Union Government,teaching staff of IIT,petition , H G Patil, B B Nare , non-teaching employees , lawyer Vishwasrao Deokar, Commissions ,IIT, Powai, assistant registrars, salary grade, junior technical assistants , junior engineers,legal notice, employee,Central Government,education news