Reports: TISS terminates over 100 employees citing lack of funds

The TATA Institute of Social Sciences (TISS) has  dismissed nearly 100 of its staff as the institute has not received funds from the Tata Trust to support the employees, reports said.

More then 50 faculty and 60 non teaching contractual staff were left unemployed. They were with the institute for over a decade.

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.

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

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

A students' body of the institute in a statement on Saturday said the TISS administration must immediately revoke the "termination" of the faculty and staff members.

The "mass termination" is set to create "scarcity" of the teaching and non-teaching staff, the forum said.

The termination of a 100 such positions will directly impact the future of students who are enrolling in the institute, it might also allow for politically motivated appointments in the near future, it said.

Among the teaching staff, 20 of those dismissed were learnt to be from Mumbai campus, 15 from Hyderabad, 14 from Guwahati, and six from Tuljapur.

 The remaining teaching staff on TISS campuses are permanent faculty members on the University Grants Commission (UGC) payroll, according to skources.