By IANS
Patna : Over 33,000 non-teaching staff of nine universities in Bihar went on an indefinite strike Tuesday to press for their demands the state government had agreed to in 2005.
Ganga Prasad Jha, the general secretary of the Bihar Rajya Vishwavidhyalya Karamchari Mahasangh said that they are demanding Union Grants Commission pay scales, benefits under an assured career promotion scheme and representation of non-teaching staff in university senates and syndicates.
Jha said that the state government had accepted their demands and signed two agreements with the non-teaching staff representatives in July 2003 and August 2005.
The leaders of the striking staff claimed that the strike has paralysed academic activities, examinations and evaluation work in the universities. Jha said the staff would not end the strike until the state government accepts their demands.
This is the first major strike by government employees since Nitish Kumar came to power in November 2005.