Govt to continue with contractual staff for 1 more year

CHANDIGARH: In a communication sent to heads of all Punjab government departments, the state personnel department has instructed them to continue with the practice of contractual and outsourced employees till March 31, 2019.

In its first cabinet meeting on March 28 last year, the Congress government had decided not to make any contractual, ad hoc or outsourced recruitment against the sanctioned posts.

Earlier, in it poll manifesto, the Congress had said that on coming to power the government would discontinue the practice of recruiting ad hoc employees.

In the communication to all heads of departments, divisional commissioners, deputy commissioners, sub-divisional officers, registrar of Punjab and Haryana high court, district and session judges, chairman and managing directors of all state boards and corporations, the government has issued a fresh set of relaxations, suggesting to let contractual employees continue to work on ‘as and where’ required basis.

There are an estimated 27,000 such employees in the state, who have been employed for two to ten years. They are demanding regularisation of their jobs.

The instructions from the personnel department were issued in line with the Capt Amarinder Singh government’s ‘five-year work programme, 2017-22’, which says that the promises made in the manifesto be treated as “line of action for the government machinery”. But the orders issued ten days ago on March 22, which percolated to the ground level this week, were not in line with the government stand on the issue.

“We need time for regular recruitments and also need bigger budget to funds these jobs,” said a senior officer from the personnel department, who did not want to be named.

He said a post filled with a regular employee entails a 2 to 2.5 times’ burden on the state exchequer. “But the government is not easy with funds, so we have decided to continue with contractual staff,” he said.

The Parkash Singh Badal government had passed ‘the Punjab Ad Hoc, Contractual, Daily Wage, Temporary, Work Charged and Outsourced Employees’ Welfare Bill, 2016’ in a special session of the state assembly on December 24, 2016, and the Act was subsequently notified.

The Act was aimed at regularising the contractual staff, which was challenged in the Punjab and Haryana high court. The petitioner took the plea that it infringes on the basic structure of the Constitution, which implies a fair, just, reasonable opportunity for all citizens of the country for employment. “The AG office has suggested us to amend the Act. Let us see how things shape up in the coming time,” said a personnel department official.

CASHSTRAPPED GOVT NOT IN MOOD TO BEAR ADDITIONAL FINANCIAL BURDEN BY MAKING REGULAR APPOINTMENTS