Terming the teachers’ arrest as unlawful, the forum’s statement read, “Though many States in the county have fixed the pay scale for secondary grade teachers at ₹11,360, in Tamil Nadu alone, it has been fixed at just ₹8,000.”
Teachers appointed as secondary grade teachers before May 31, 2009, were given a basic pay of ₹8,370, whereas teachers appointed from the very next day, i.e., June 1, 2009, onwards, were given a reduced basic pay of ₹5,200. As a result, around 20,000 teachers have been trapped in a lower pay scale, it added.
In the neighbouring Puducherry, teachers with the same educational qualifications were paid a better basic salary of ₹11,360.
R. Murali, one of the coordinators, said in more than 15 States, including Delhi, Gujarat, Haryana, Madhya Pradesh, Mizoram, Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Jharkhand, Karnataka, Bihar and Goa, the basic salary of middle school teachers was ₹11,360.
As the Tamil Nadu teachers were receiving far less than other States, teachers who joined service just one day apart were facing a salary difference of nearly ₹20,000. This gap — unequal pay for equal work– has been causing severe mental distress, he noted.
“During the AIADMK regime in 2018, the then leader of the Opposition M.K. Stalin expressed support for this struggle and promised that the issue would be resolved if his party came to power. This was also mentioned in the DMK’s 2021 election manifesto, promising equal pay for equal work. If so, was this a promise false?” Mr. Murali asked.
During the protest in December 2022, the government stated that a three-member committee would be formed to study the issue and arrive at a solution and again during the October 2023 protest, it was once again stated that all issues would be resolved within three months.
As the government did not keep up its word then, a protest was again organised in 2024, but it faced a stiff opposition from the police and even many women protesters were manhandled by the police, he noted.
Now, once again, during the half yearly holidays—ensuring no disruption to students’ education—the teachers have been protesting for the past four days. Even now, they are being treated in a highly reprehensible manner, the statement condemned.
Even after four and a half years in power, the Chief Minister continues to refuse to even consider the demands of these teachers, which he once acknowledged and supported.
The statement reiterated that the teachers should be permitted to protest which is their basic rights enshrined in the Constitution, the statement noted.
Published – December 30, 2025 06:40 pm IST
