Lesson from unresolved protests
Lessons for the government.
The government in a democratic nation is not
supposed to handle a protest by the teachers in this manner. Right for peaceful
protest is a right given to the trade unions.
Destroying them through demonstration of mighty government power and
thereby creating fears to the protestor’s mind about their future survival is
the practice of military rules. If the students welfare had been the top
priority the chief minister could have
met them and given some assurances and explain the reasons for inability to meet
some of the demands. This is the beauty of the negotiation instrument . A
ministers’ open announcement of the teacher’s salary is not in good taste. The
teachers right in asking how during the present financial crunch the IAS and
IPS cadres latest salary and arrears are paid and MLSs are allowance are
revised twice. Let the government also realize that, the general public will
question from where they get the money for grand birth day celebrations of
their leaders, statues and memorials and who is responsible for the financial mismanagement
of the government funds?
Lessons for the teachers
Any protest by any union will succeed only if,
there is public support and their member’s
full support. All the teacher’s demands are very genuine and are long pending
demands. They could have chosen the examination time as a pressure tactics. But
it boomeranged due to the adamancy of the government to call them towards the
negotiation desk. The parents and students opposition to their protests
happened because of their failure to convince the students and parents about
the genuineness of the demands. Yes, as one teacher points out it is not going
to be easy for the teachers to tell their students to fight for justice with
courage and confidence. But even now they can tell them about trade union
instruments and honestly explain why they have failed.
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