SOLO FIGHT

Rs 60 salaried woman's sit-in for pay hike

 

COOCH BEHAR, Sept. 26: She is working for 24 years and still she gets Rs 60 per month as her wage. The people from every sector of life are suffering from price hike of essential commodities and inflation these days but this widowed woman worker have to survive by Rs 2 per day. At last, finding no other alternative, she started indefinite hunger strike in front of the office of the district inspector of schools (secondary) in Cooch Behar from today demanding pay hike.

 

Ms Sabitri Roy is a group-D worker engaged at the assistant inspector of schools (secondary) in Dinhata. She has to clean the office rooms, bring water and obey different orders but she gets Rs 60 as her monthly wage. The widow has two sons and two daughters. The daughters were married off and the sons live separately. She depends only on her wage for survival. Though another workers of similar working status get Rs 700 per month her wage was never revised in the past 24 years, she alleged.

 

Assistant inspector of schools (secondary) Mr Nirmal Sarkar said Ms Roy is a part-time worker in his office. They recommended her case several times to the higher authorities. Now, they cannot do anything for the woman without instructions from the higher authorities. Mr Sarkar admitted that her service record was fine and there was no complaint against her. She is still to work for about 10 years.

 

DI of Schools (Secondary) Mr Subodh Kumar Chatterjee said they conveyed the matter to the higher authorities. It is not possible to do anything for her without permission from the authorities concerned.

 

It was learnt that there are five such poor paid workers in five sub-divisional offices of the inspectors of schools in Cooch Behar district. []

 

PHOTO : Silent Fighter - Ms Sabitri Roy in front of the office chamber of the DI of Schools (Secondary) in Cooch Behar on Friday.