July 1: The members of the Greater Mumbai Primary and Secondary Non-Teachers' Union today went on an indefinite strike. The strike will not be withdrawn till the state government meets the union's demands, informed the union's president C S Paradkar.The first demand is to provide seniority status for clerical staff after 12 years of service in secondary schools. Secondly, the union has said, the fourth grade workers should get the same amount of money for their uniforms and the maintenance of uniforms as that received by state government employees. The union has asked for the immediate implementation of the third phase of the Chiplunkar Committee report, adding that non-teaching staff should be protected with regard to their salaries and seniorities even if the number of children in the schools is reduced.Paradkar informed that the union's city unit covers about 10,000 members. The agitation, he clarified, will be carried out all over the state by the 90,000 non-teaching staff belonging to primary and secondary schools.The general secretary, N D Kulkarni said, ``Since the past two years, we are demanding to be treated at par with other state government employees. We have given many petitions to the Education Minister, but all in vain.''
