Teachers staging a protest to demand equal pay for equal work at the Chennai Collectorate on Sunday.
On the third day of the protest by the Secondary Grade Seniority Teachers’ Association (SSTA), demanding equal pay for equal work, on Sunday, over 1,000 teachers were removed by the police from the protest venue at Chennai Collectorate in George Town.
“The protests will continue until our demand is met. We have waited long enough, but only talks have taken place. We want it resolved,” said a teacher from Thanjavur.
The teachers have been protesting to highlight a long-standing pay disparity. Secondary-grade teachers appointed before June 1, 2009, have a basic pay of ₹8,370, whereas those appointed after June 2009 receive ₹5,200. The protesters demanded that the government rectify the pay anomaly. Secondary grade teachers now draw a monthly salary of ₹20,600.
Noting that Chief Minister M.K. Stalin had supported their demands when he was the Leader of the Opposition in 2018, the teachers said the government was now turning a blind eye. “The DMK had promised in its poll manifesto to rectify the pay anomaly that began during its tenure in 2009. We want it fulfilled,” a teacher from Theni said.
The police removed the teachers from the protest venue, and detained them in halls across the city.
Published – December 28, 2025 10:54 pm IST
