Protest on termination of daily wage workers

Employees of Himachal Pradesh National Law University (HPNLU), supported by the Centre of Indian Trade Unions (CITU), staged a protest outside the Deputy Commissioner’s office. They demanded the immediate reinstatement of the 43 daily wage workers who were allegedly terminated by the university in an unlawful manner.

CITU state president Vijender Mehra accused HPNLU, which provides legal education, of blatantly violating labour laws. He condemned the university’s “hire and fire” policy, describing the termination of the workers as unfortunate. “These workers had been employed for years in roles such as sanitation, security, hostel attendants, drivers, carpenters, electricians, plumbers and other technical positions. Despite working under difficult conditions, they were not paid the minimum wage as per government standards,” he said.

Mehra criticised the university for overworking the employees, who were made to work 12-hour days without receiving overtime pay. He claimed the workers were often asked to perform tasks outside their designated roles without any additional compensation and were denied benefits such as EPF, insurance, medical facilities and paid leave. “Due to insufficient staffing, they were frequently overburdened with excessive tasks,” added the CITU state chief.

He also pointed out although these workers were hired through a formal process, which included interviews, they were dismissed without prior notice or justification. “This is against the law. Such ‘hire and fire’ practices are not permitted under Indian labour laws,” he concluded.