TISS withdraws termination of over 100 employees after Tata Education Trust agrees to release funds

MUMBAI: The Tata Institute of Social Sciences (TISS) on Sunday said it has withdrawn the notices given to 55 teaching and 60 non-teaching staff of non-renewal of contracts and asked them to continue their work.

In the circular, the TISS said all 55 faculty and 60 non-teaching staff were appointed under programs funded by Tata Education Trust (TET) and were on a contractual basis with exact programme period.

The contracts of the teaching and non-teaching staff at four TISS campuses — Mumbai, Tuljapur, Hyderabad and Guwahati were due to end on June 30 (Sunday).

Ongoing discussions with Tata Education Trust have provided assurance that resources will be made available to TISS to resolve this issue, the circular said, adding TET has committed to releasing funds for salaries of TET project/programme faculty and non-teaching staff.

“The letter numbered Admn/5(1) TET-Faculty & Staff/2024, dated 28th June 2024, addressed to all concerned TET Programme faculty and non-teaching staff, is hereby withdrawn with immediate effect. They are requested to continue their work, and salaries will be released as soon as the TET Support Grant is received by the institute,” the circular said.

The non-renewal of contract had invited sharp criticism from the students body and fellow faculty members.

A faculty member said these contracts had been issued for the teaching and non-teaching staff from grants received from the Tata Trust.

They accused the TISS administration of not foreseeing the situation.

“It is over the last 10-15 years that we have been receiving grants for employing additional faculty to teach various courses. That funding was to be renewed. The no-cost extension and renewal of grant doesn’t seem to have happened in a timely manner,” the person said.

“We were apprised on June 28 about the non-renewal of contracts. We told the TISS administration not to issue the letters (pertaining to non-renewal of contracts) till it hears from the Tata Trust. Let us try to find a solution. But our appeal did not find favour,” the faculty member said.

Some of the teaching staff members were even part of the interview process which selects candidates for academic sessions for various courses last month, the person said.

“We asked the administration about the status of funding last month and we were told there was no reason to worry. But, suddenly notices were issued that contracts have not been renewed due to lack of funds. This is sheer mismanagement on part of the administration which could not foresee what was coming,” the faculty member claimed.

Another faculty member said usually contracts get over and teaching members continue to work.

In the past, no notice of termination of contracts was given.

“It seems this has been done deliberately,” he claimed.

The Progressive Students Forum on Saturday claimed the episode is a complete failure of the current TISS administration in running the institute and apathy of the BJP-led Union government.

“The recent blunders made by the Ministry of Education in conducting nationwide entrance examinations only add to the incompetence of the central government,” it charged.