Management implemented a pay cut of 45 per cent in April last year, citing a paucity of funds; staffers claim there’s enough to pay salary
Asiatic Society employees speak during a press conference at Marathi Patrakar Sangh on Wednesday. Pic/Bipin Kokate
The employees of the Asiatic Society on Wednesday threatened to go on an indefinite strike if the management didn’t restore their full salary. The management had implemented a pay cut of 45 per cent in April last year, citing a paucity of funds. The employees, however, claimed that there is enough funds to pay their salaries.
ADVERTISEMENT
The demand was made at a press conference by the employees’ union on Wednesday. In addition to restoring the salary of 30 employees, the union also demanded a 10 per cent hike in Dearness Allowance, implementation of the 7th Pay Commission’s revisions, an annual increment in salary and removal of any pay anomalies. They have also requested to the Centre that the Maharashtra governor be made to take over charge of the Society from the management.
Citing reason for the pay cut, the management had said that they had not received the full grant from the central government. Moreover, because of the pandemic, the Asiatic Society didn’t receive the membership fees, the union said. Due to shortage of these funds, they fear rare and precious books, maps, journals, coins, antiquities, Sopara relics, art maps, art objects, manuscripts, old rare government reports, etc, could suffer serious damage.
They also pointed to the recommendations of a Review Committee constituted by the Union Ministry of Culture on October 15, 2014, to assess the financial condition and viability of the Society and to suggest measures to improve its financial position. The panel recommended bringing funds to the Asiatic Society in the form of corpus grants Rs 30 crore from the Centre and Rs 20 crore from the state government. It also suggested granting it the status of ‘Institution of National Importance’. But, none of the suggestions were ever implemented.
Prakash Reddy, president of the employees union, said, “Since the past six months, our major demand is a 100 per cent restoration of salary, but it has not been considered yet. The Managing Committee has totally failed to raise funds for maintenance. The Managing Committee also failed to bring Corpus Grant from the Maharashtra government and the Centre as recommended by the Review Committee. It has not followed up on the matter of conferring the status of ‘Institution of National Importance on the Asiatic Society’.”
Subscribe today by clicking the link and stay updated with the latest news!" Click here!
