Process on to regularise 14,417 Punjab employees, terms irk unions

Chandigarh, January 28

The state government has started the process to regularise around 14,417 Group C and Group D employees but employee organisations have expressed reservations regarding the terms of employment of such workers issued by the government last week.

‘Probation again’

Employees have given the prime of their lives to the government. Now they will be considered as fresh recruits and will have to serve a three-year probation again. Does an employee, who has already served for more than a decade, still need to undergo three-year fresh probation? — Germanjit Singh, Democratic Employees front chief

Last year in May, the Punjab Cabinet had given the nod to the ‘Policy for Welfare of Adhoc, Contractual, Daily Wages, Work Charged and Temporary Employees’ which paved the way for regularising the services of 14,417 employees.

As per the policy, the employees, who have worked on ad hoc, contractual, daily wage, work charged or temporary basis for a continuous period of minimum 10 years till the issuance of the policy, will be regularised.

However, the employees will not be placed in the regular cadre of sanctioned posts under the statutory service rules. A special cadre of posts will be created especially for them. Now in light of that notification, the state Department of Personnel has issued terms and conditions.

The Democratic Employees Front said the terms issued by the department would leave the contractual and daily wage workers at the receiving end. “The employees have given prime of their lives to the government. Now they will be considered as fresh recruits and will have to serve a three-year probation again. The government must introspect. Does an employee, who has already served for more than a decade, still need to go under three-year fresh probation?” asked Germanjit Singh, president of the Democratic Employees Front, Punjab.

He said the employees would be devoid of benefits of their past service. “Even they will be deprived of equal work, equal pay practice,” he added.