Pune’s Sinhgad technical education society assures to clear dues to 427 ex-staff members

The Sinhgad technical education society (STES) on Friday sent a written application to the joint charity commissioner’s office in Pune assuring to pay the pending salaries of 427 ex-staff members of the college.

STES staff members along with the Maratha outfit Sambhaji Brigade have been staging protests since August against the administration of the institution on the issue of pending salaries.

While the STES on August 21 had issued cheques worth ₹11 crore, the management on Friday sent a written application to the joint charity commissioner’s office assuring to give the salaries of 427 ex-staff members on September 25. 

Sachin Shinde, teaching faculty at STES engineering college, said, “It is because of the support of the joint charity commissioner Dilip Deshmukh and Sambhaji Birgade, that after months of tussle, finally STES has started giving our salaries. All the staff members who had resigned from the college, have been asked to be present at their respective colleges on Tuesday to collect the salary cheques.” 

The cheques, which were given in the previous month have been cleared, added Shinde. 

STES teaching and non-teaching staff have been through a rough journey for almost a year fighting with the college management for salaries, which have been pending for more than 16 months. 

Thousands of teachers were terminated without clearing their salary dues. While many took the legal path, staged indefinite hunger strikes and protests, few left the teaching profession in search of better options. 

Chandrashekhar Navate, chief of finance, STES, said, “While we have begun the process, we will release the payments for other staff members immediately as and when we receive our pending dues of ₹117 crore from the social welfare department of the government of Maharashtra.”