MADURAI: The refixation of pay scale and the resultant court cases being faced by the Madurai Kamaraj University (MKU) here in the last few days from non-teaching staff has put several faculty members and administrative staff in deep anguish. They have now openly questioned why the university Vice-Chancellor Prof.J.Kumar is not taking a MKU team to Chennai to meet top level persons and officials in the State Government for explaining the facts and figures and the reasons for the financial crisis being faced by the varsity.
On January 7th 2024, MKU Syndicate member and Madurai Kamaraj University Faculty Association (MUFA) general secretary Prof.S.Pushparaj openly blamed the Vice-Chancellor for not taking Syndicate members into confidence for resolving the administrative issues.
“Our Vice-Chancellor Prof.J.Kumar is not consulting Syndicate members on important administration matters. He is not taking us into confidence. We are ready to go to the Government, but he is not taking us. I still have hope that the MKU issues can be resolved if there is a team spirit. Unfortunately, the VC and Registrar are going separately to Chennai to meet the officials. And the result now is refixation of pay for non-teaching staff which is affecting 186 employees,” Prof.S.Pushparaj said speaking to ‘Lotus Times’ media today.
His anguish comes in the wake of some administrative staff filing writ petitions in the Madurai Bench of Madras High Court praying for original scale of pay and the common order they got from the court.
“Our university Syndicate has some powers to make and take decisions. Salary fixation and appointments were done by the MKU Syndicate only, so it should be defended as a team. But, the Vice-Chancellor goes alone to Chennai, the Registrar goes alone to Chennai to meet Secretaries and officials. So, they are not giving pressure. We must work in unison and that is my observation. My appeal to the VC even now is to take a team of Syndicate members and senior officers of our university for a meeting with the Tamil Nadu government,” Prof.Pushparaj pleaded.
He expressed confidence that all issues such as audit objections, pay fixation, staff grievances etc can be solved if only the Vice-Chancellor and Registrar take the local Syndicate members into confidence and discuss with them a possible roadmap to come out of the financial crunch and crisis.
