Over 1,300 teachers of the premier Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs) Monday decided to go on a hunger strike Thursday to protest the government's apathy towards their demand for a better pay package.

The faculty at all the seven IITs is demanding that their payment be made at par with scientists of the Defence Research and Development Organisation and the Indian Space Research Organisation.

'The payment issue is there. Besides, there are other issues including reservation over the appointment of professors at IITs too,' she added. Thenmozhi, however, said that teaching at the IITs will not be affected as all the teachers will take classes.

She said the aim is not to hamper the study of students but to protest on legitimate issue. She said the future course of action will be decided after 10-12 days, when the federation meets again. According to authorities, there are two major issues - one of payment of assistant and associate professors and the other a cap on the number of professors who can be promoted to the next level.

'The government has put a cap that only 40 percent of professors can only be promoted to senior professor level. This is not fair. In IITs, we are talking about quality and if someone is really good, why halt his or her growth in the guise of mere number,' said a senior member of the federation.

There is a nearly 20-25 percent shortage of faculty members in all the IITs. And with the number of seats increasing every year to accommodate the 27 percent quota for Other Backward Classes (OBCs) and new IITs functioning from independent campuses, the situation is expected to only worsen.