Demand to extend benefits to workers on contract
The delegation of Himachal Sarv Anubandh Karamchari Mahasangh (SAKM) led by its president Pawan Saini has urged the state government to reduce the contractual period of its employees to three years.
The delegation of Himachal Sarv Anubandh Karamchari Mahasangh (SAKM) led by its president Pawan Saini has urged the state government to reduce the contractual period of its employees to three years.
Saini said that to hide its own shortcomings, the state government inflicted pain and humiliation on those, who moved forward its wheels on a pittance.
Harsh Vardhan Singh Khimta, state president of Government College Lecturers Association, said that the contract policy had deprived them of every fundamental right of constitution and left them with no choice but to fight against bonded labour viz contractual policy of the state government.
Khimta said that members of contractual associations organised meetings at district headquarters across the state on Sunday and decided to organise mass rally outside the state assembly house in Shimla on February 17.
He said that principal demand of the association was to reduce contractual period to three years and provide all financial and administration benefits on par with regular employees during contractual period and addition of contractual job period into the seniority of the employee when employee got regular job, he said.
The state government has recruited more than 25,000 employees through Himachal Pradesh Public Service Commission and Subordinate Selection Board after state level competitions in almost all government departments in the state, including major departments such as education, health and judiciary.
The SAKM president Saini said that the contractual employees were getting less pay, no holiday, no earned leave, no maternity leave, no medical allowance, no study leave and contractual policy was violation of constitution provision of equal pay for equal work.
Saini said that the most humiliating part of the whole episode was that when contractual employees got regular jobs after serving on contract for years, the government gave fresh appointment and considered fresh date of joining the job and refused to add contract period in the seniority due to which a number of employees did not get promotion and retired from the same post they were appointed as regular employee.
"It is exploitation of people who have no choice but to join job for survival of family and it is not 25,000 employees but 25,000 families who are feeling humiliated due to bonded labour viz contractual policy of the state government" Saini added.