SIET disengaged employees’ stir enter 329 days

BHUBANESWAR: Disengaged employees of the State Institute of Educational Technology (SIET), which was closed by the State Government on April 29 last year, continued their indefinite stir for 329 days on Thursday demanding payment of their salaries.

Notably, 24 employees have been disengaged by the State Government following the notification of closure of the institute. Though the employees had been joined in the posts created by the Government, they were allegedly disengaged without any prior notice.   

The disengaged employees under the banner of Staff Co-ordination Committee of SIET later filed a writ petition in the Odisha High Court against School and Mass Education Department of the State protesting the order.

On May 15 last year, the court after hearing the case said that if the petitioners are continuing under the SIET in their services, they shall not be disengaged without leave of this court and their salary shall be paid to them regularly during pendency of this writ petition. It is also directed that if the State is proposing to close down the SIET, such order of closing down the said institution shall not be implemented without leave of this court.

In due course of time, the employees had appealed to the Odisha Human Rights Commission to help them in the issue. The commission on February 7 this year in its order said that for closing down the SIET proper procedure has not been followed and the orders of the Chief Minister of the State has also not been obtained by the concerned authorities.

“Though the constitutional bodies passed order in favour of us and asked the State to take adequate steps to pay our salary, the State machinery is yet to take any step to help us,” said Staff Co-ordination Committee leader Satyanarayan Sahu.