Classes in over 500 colleges and at least six universities could be affected on Tuesday as teachers have called a ceasework to protest the government’s decision to hike salaries from January 2020 instead of January 2016.

The West Bengal College and University Teachers’ Association (WBCUTA) has given the ceasework call and approximately 10,000 teachers will take part in the protest, said a member of the teachers’ body.

Chief minister Mamata Banerjee on November 5 had announced that college and university teachers would be paid according to the seventh central pay commission’s recommendations from January next year instead of January 2016.

Keshab Bhattacharya, general secretary of the Left-backed teachers’ body, said they were forced to call the ceasework because their appeal to the state government to implement the revised pay scale from January 2016 had fallen on deaf ears.

The Jadavpur University Teachers’ Association will observe the ceasework both on November 19 and 20. “An assistant professor (at the starting level) would miss out on Rs 6.4 lakh for four years,” said Partha Pratim Ray, the general secretary of the association.

Repeated calls to education minister Partha Chatterjee went unanswered. He did not respond to the text messages either.

Omprakash Mishra, a leader of the Trinamul Congress who teaches at JU, called the protest unfair.

“Under the circumstances, the chief minister has put her best foot forward. She explained given the financial situation, she could not do more at this moment. The teachers should have realised her compulsion,” said Mishra, who recently joined Trinamul.