‘No Work, No Pay’ order issued by Punjabi varsity to curb protests by staff

In a move that has sparked controversy, Punjabi University Vice-Chancellor KK Yadav has issued an order aimed at curbing employee protests within the university.

A copy of the order, which is in possession of The Tribune, reveals the university authorities have observed a pattern of employees halting work and staging sit-ins or protests over what the authorities consider ‘minor issues’, which disrupts the functioning of the institution.

The order directs all controlling officers of the university to immediately enforce a ‘No Work, No Pay’ policy that stated any employee who participated in protests or work stoppages would not receive payment for the days they do not work. The university said the policy was intended to address disruptions caused by employee demonstrations.

The directive also mentions that at times, protesting employees often blocked access to key university buildings, further hampering operations. As a result, the university's security officer has been instructed to report such incidents to the relevant station house officers (SHO) to register an FIR against those who obstruct university activities.

The orders that have been issued come amid ongoing protests by guest faculty and other staff members, who have been demonstrating against university authorities over various grievances.

Efforts to reach key university officials, including Vice-Chancellor KK Yadav, Registrar Sanjiv Puri and Dean Academics Narinder Kaur Multani, for comments were unsuccessful, as they remained unavailable despite repeated attempts.

The president of the Punjabi University Teachers Association (PUTA), Bhupinder Singh, said he has not reviewed the details of the order yet. He said PUTA would convene a meeting on Monday to discuss the matter, after which a joint statement would be issued.