Private school in Anantnag sacks drivers ,not to pay one year salary

Sameer Ahmad

Anantnag 09, 2020: Drivers of Alsarwat convent senior secondary institute (private school)Anantnag have alleged that the school authorities have disengaged them from duties after the drivers demanded the release of their pending salaries.

Talking to the Arising State, a group of drivers of Alsarwat convent senior secondary institute Anantnag said that the school authorities have misbehaved and disengaged them from duties after the drivers urged authorities for the release of their pending salaries which have not been paid from last August.

The aggrieved drivers stated, ‘despite several pleas before the school authorities to release their pending salary, the school authorities have been avoiding it on one or other pretext. Adding further, ‘we have not received a single penny from August 2019, the economic hardship especially during the lockdown period has added to our worries. The non-payment of salary has led to great stress and even starvation of our families,” drivers said.

According to Gh Ahmad Magray, a driver who is working from the past 11 years in school said that the school authorities are doing injustice with us as they are not releasing our salary which is held from August last year. Magray said that in March 2020, ‘we received a call from the school authorities asking us to keep the buses in school premises and hand over the keys to school authorities. After handing over the keys to school authorities the authorities asked us not to show up at school as they don’t need their services anymore’.

Magray probed, ‘when all other schools have released their salary to their staff members then what is desisting the authorities from withholding their salary payments’, Magrey said.

The school authorities are violating the government norms as they have disengaged us without any reason and we want to know from school authorities for what reasons have we been disengaged,’Magray said.

The directorate of school education Kashmir, in a recent order, vide order no DSEK/GS/54-Misc/2020 dated 7/08/2020 has impressed upon all the unaided recognized private schools of Kashmir division to adhere to the instructions of providing uninterrupted salaries to the staff in the school during lockdown period in lieu of COVID-19 pandemic in letter and spirit, in case of any violation/non-seriousness strict action shall be initiated against the particular school in terms of relevant provisions of law which includes derecognition thereof without further intimation.

While our correspondent spoke to the Administrator of the Alsarwat convent senior secondary institute Anantnag regarding the matter, Raju Sodagar refuted the allegations and said that the drivers are concocting stories as nobody has asked them to leave the school, Sodagar said.

Meanwhile, CEO Anantnag Rub Shad informed our correspondent that there are clear orders from govt not to withheld salaries of employees, if any school is found violating the norms, strict action will be initiated against the institution, CEO said.