DUTA Calls for Delhi University ‘Shutdown’ on Thursday in Protest

The Delhi University Teachers’ Association (DUTA) on Tuesday called for a university “shutdown” from March 11 to register protest against a number of issues, including non-payment of salaries.

The executive meeting of DUTA was held on Tuesday to discuss the “crisis faced by teaching and non-teaching staff in twelve DU colleges that are 100% funded colleges for the last 14 months”.

“In many units employees have not received salaries for over six months now. Employees have also not received other dues,” DUTA president Rajib Ray said in a statement.

The meeting also addressed the recent merger of College of Art with Ambedkar University Delhi.

“The College of Art was de-affiliated from DU and merged without consulting stakeholders and without due processes. The DUTA Office Bearers will hold a meeting with teachers of CoA in this regard,” he said.

The DUTA Executive also passed resolutions to “shut down” DU from March 11 and give immediate representations to the Chief Minister, LG, VC, college principals and the chairpersons of the 12 DU colleges.

It has also decided to hold meetings with Delhi University and College Karamchari Union (DUCKU) and DU Students’ Union (DUSU) by March 13.

The DUTA will hold a “Adhikar Rally” from the VC office to the CM residence on March 15 and another march from the VC office to the LG’s office on March 18.

It also asked other staff associations to hold meetings to “mobilize for the action programmes and send feedback” by March 19.

The DUTA Executive will decide future course of action on March 20, it said.

In September last year employees of the 12 colleges funded by the Delhi Government were on the streets demanding their basic right to wages. The employees had alleged that they had not been paid their salaries for the last five months, leaving them in uncertainty and indebtedness amid the COVID-19 pandemic. Some teachers had even approached the Delhi High Court earlier that month.