Stop Demoralizing Social Workers; A Decent Wage is Our Right
Stop Demoralizing Social Workers; A Decent Wage is Our Right
Why this petition matters
In a recent vacancy notification published on the 29th of January 2022 (Advertisement No: TISS/Project/Special Cell for Women /January-2022), The Tata Institute of Social Sciences, also known as TISS, which is the pioneer and Asia's oldest institute for Professional Social Work Education, has demoralized the dignity of social workers by announcing a shamefully low salary package for its new opening.
A full-time position for "Social Worker" has been announced for a significant TISS project supported by the Maharashtra Government, Departments of Home, Police, and Women and Child Development, implemented in 14 of the 123 Cells across the state of Maharashtra. This programme is based on the Special Cells for Women & Children approach – as initiated by TISS (Mumbai) in 1984. It creates space in the Police system for violated women to receive emotional & social support through quality psycho-social-legal services' provision by professional full-time social Workers within the criminal justice system (CJS), where the violence survivor's needs and concerns are addressed within a facilitative environment. A total of 1 social worker (preferably having prior direct intervention work experience) is required for the full-time work at the Special Cell for Women (Mumbai).
The salary package offered for this well-experienced position dealing with violence survivors and addressing their problems is disappointingly low. According to the advertisement, a Social Worker with MSW and two years of experience will be paid a consolidated amount of Rs.15,000 per month, with no extra perks. It is pretty demotivating that even TISS, which promotes the Social Work profession, is announcing this low-profile salary package for Social Workers.
We earnestly believe that TISS is responsible for creating an environment that protects the dignity of social work professionals and the profession at large, being the pioneer. Inculcating the hi-end values and ethics of the Social Work profession and professionals, they have to demonstrate it equally in their deeds.
Given these facts, The Social Experts Voluntary Association (SEVA INDIA) solicits consensus among the Social Workers to express our concerns to TISS to make them think over the proposed position's salary revision.