Secondary teachers removedby police during protest

Police removed teachers belonging to the Secondary Grade Seniority Teachers’ Association, as they began an indefinite strike on Friday demanding equal pay for equal work. They highlighted a long-standing pay disparity. Secondary teachers appointed after June 1, 2009, have not been paid the same salary as their fellow teachers in the State for the past 12 years, they said. The teachers have been conducting a series of protests since the start of this month. The police removed a number of teachers as they began to protest near the Directorate of School Education in Nungambakkam, saying they had not obtained permission to protest. They were released later in the evening.