Teachers demanding equal pay for equal work detained again in Chennai

Two teachers were injured during a protest by the Secondary Grade Seniority Teachers’ Association (SSTA) at Ezhilagam in Chennai on Monday (December 29, 2025), when police forcibly removed protesters. Over 1,000 teachers, protesting for the fourth consecutive day for ‘equal pay for equal work’, were detained again.

Neither the State government nor the School Education Department has responded to the teachers’ protests yet.

One teacher sustained a head injury, while another injured her back and head when police allegedly pushed her to board a bus. Both were given medical attention at the protest site. Traffic was halted for about an hour as teachers blocked Kamarajar Salai in Chepauk.

“The protests will continue until our demand is met. We have been pushed to our last resort. We have waited and petitioned for 16 years to no avail,” said a teacher from Karur.

What is the protest about?

The teachers have been protesting since Friday (December 26, 2025) to highlight a long-standing pay disparity. Secondary-grade teachers appointed before June 1, 2009, receive a basic pay of ₹8,370, while those appointed after that date receive ₹5,200. At present, post-2009 appointees draw a monthly salary of about ₹40,000, including allowances, compared with about ₹50,000 for those appointed earlier.

Teachers point out that allowances are linked to basic pay. “As allowances rise with basic pay, the gap between the two sets of teachers has widened considerably. This anomaly needs to be rectified by the government,” a teacher said.

With new pay commissions coming into force, the difference has widened to over ₹10,000. Teachers fear it will increase further when the Eighth Pay Commission comes into effect.

Kaladevi B., appointed in July 2009, said that a difference of just two months in appointment has resulted in a pay gap of over ₹10,000 between her and those appointed before June 2009. “We teach the same syllabus to the same children and perform the same duties, including clerical work. Yet, they are paid more while we are paid less. The government must rectify this,” said the teacher from Kancheepuram.

The government had set up three committees over the past 16 years to probe into the matter and find a solution. The most recent committee was appointed in September 2025, when the SSTA had announced a strike. However, despite talks with the School Education Minister and other officials, no solution has been arrived at.