Rohtak university outsourced employees demand shifting to Kaushal Rozgar Nigam

As part of their intensifying indefinite protest campaign, a section of outsourced employees at Pt BD Sharma University of Health Sciences, Rohtak (UHSR), held a protest march on the campus on Wednesday. Meanwhile, the university authorities have sent a fresh reminder to the state government, urging it to expedite the process of transferring these employees to the Haryana Kaushal Rozgar Nigam (HKRN).

The protestors, who have been staging a dharna at Vijay Park on the university campus for the past three days, are demanding their absorption under the HKRN — a state-run agency that recruits contractual staff for various government departments. Currently, these workers are employed through a private agency, though their salaries are paid directly by the university.

On Wednesday, the protestors marched from the dharna site to the Director’s office at the PGIMS, where they held a brief demonstration for about half an hour before returning to their protest site. They reiterated that their agitation would continue until their demands were met.

One of the protesters alleged that most outsourced employees were being harassed by the private firm, which arbitrarily marked them absent in records to cut their wages. “There are several employees who are relatives of senior university or PGIMS officials. These individuals are drawing full salaries without reporting for duty, thanks to manipulated attendance records,” he claimed.

Another protester, speaking on the condition of anonymity, said an inquiry was currently underway into a complaint filed against the private firm. “The complaint, submitted by three former employees, includes serious allegations. It names the wives of a Deputy Medical Superintendent and a PGIMS officer as beneficiaries of undue favours,” he added.

The protesters urged the PGIMS authorities to complete the inquiry swiftly and take appropriate action against those responsible for the alleged malpractices.

The ongoing strike has reportedly had a partial impact on the university and hospital operations. However, the officials claim the situation is under control. “The private agency has deployed additional staff to ensure smooth functioning of the hospital,” said an official.

Prof HK Aggarwal, Vice-Chancellor of the university, confirmed that the university had sent a reminder to the state government, requesting the immediate transition of all outsourced employees to the HKRN. “There will be no additional financial burden on the government with this move,” he noted.

At present, the university employs 1,271 outsourced workers — including 962 bearers, 55 data entry operators and 254 staff members in various other roles.