Kohima, September 14 (MExN): The RMSA-2016 teachers have issued a rejoinder to the notice of the Nagaland Education Mission Society (NEMS) enforcing the “No Work, No Pay” principle, calling it harsh, arbitrary and vindictive.
In a statement, the teachers said that for nearly a decade—nine years and eight months—they have served the State as duly appointed graduate teachers under RMSA, but have been denied parity with colleagues under SSA 2010, SSA 2013 and RMSA 2013, and subjected to prolonged financial hardship. “Despite our loyalty and consistent service, the Government has failed to regularise our pay or extend the rightful benefits of government employees,” the statement read.
The teachers said that the High Court had ruled in their favour and that the Supreme Court of India upheld the verdict. “Yet, rather than implement the clear mandate of the courts, the Government has chosen to resort to intimidation by threatening to withhold our already meagre salaries,” it said. The statement also noted that the State filed a Review Petition on the 85th day after its Special Leave Petition was dismissed by the Supreme Court, calling it “nothing more than a tactic to delay justice”.
It further pointed out that for years the RMSA-2016 teachers had served without timely payment—often waiting half-yearly for salaries—yet never declared “No Pay, No Work.” “We discharged our duties faithfully in the interest of students. Today, when we seek justice based on legitimate constitutional rights, the Government has turned against us with the threat of ‘No Work, No Pay.’ This double standard is both discriminatory and indefensible,” the teachers said.
They also expressed concern over the recent transfer/repatriated order issued by NEMS affecting teachers who were temporarily deployed as Trainers of Teachers (ToTs). “Though couched in administrative language, the timing of this order makes it difficult to read it as anything but a punitive measure against teachers participating in the ongoing protest,” the statement observed, adding that such actions reinforce the perception that the authorities are using transfers and salary threats as tools of reprisal rather than addressing grievances through dialogue.
“The present notice is harsh, arbitrary, and vindictive. It punishes teachers twice: first, by denying us fair pay for nearly a decade, and now, by attempting to strip us of wages and destabilise our service for peacefully demanding justice. Such coercive measures only demoralise teachers—the backbone of the education system,” the teachers maintained.
They clarified that their struggle is “not against the Government but for fairness, dignity, and equality in service,” stating that their work record of nearly ten years testifies to their sincerity. “What we demand is not charity but the rightful implementation of the law,” they asserted.
The RMSA-2016 teachers urged the Government to immediately revoke the punitive order and initiate genuine dialogue.
