DW BUREAU / Chandigarh

The Haryana Cabinet on Thursday gave its approval to bring an ordinance for ensuring job security for contractual employees until the age of superannuation, a move which will benefit 1.20 lakh such employees. A decision to this effect, which comes barely a few months before the assembly polls, was taken in the cabinet meeting chaired by Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini. Saini said a decision has been taken to ensure security to jobs of contractual employees till the age of their retirement.

The decision will apply to contractual employees working under the Haryana Kaushal Rozgar Nigam including those engaged under outsourcing policy, according to an official statement.

The state cabinet gave approval to bring the Haryana Contractual Employees (Security of Tenure) Ordinance, 2024. The ordinance will enhance facilities for contractual employees and guarantee their job security until the age of superannuation, it said.

According to the ordinance, the state government has established provisions to ensure job security for all contractual employees working across various state departments, including Haryana Kaushal Rojgar Nigam, until their age of superannuation.

Contractual employees, who complete five years of service by August 15, 2024, will be eligible under this decision, the statement said.

Such workers will receive a basic salary equivalent to the pay scale of posts. Additionally, their consolidated monthly remuneration will be increased with effect from the first day of January and first day of July every year corresponding to the increase in dearness allowance, it said.

The ordinance also includes provisions for an annual increment on the consolidated monthly remuneration for contractual employees after one year of service. "These employees will be entitled to death-cum-retirement gratuity benefits. In addition, contractual employees will also be eligible for all the benefits under the Maternity Act. Under the PM-Jan Arogya Yojana-Chirayu Extension Scheme, the families of contractual employees will also be provided the benefit of health facilities," it said.

However, employees earning more than Rs 50,000 per month will not be covered under it. Those working under centrally sponsored schemes will also be excluded, it added.

Those who have worked for five years or more will get five per cent more pay than the minimum pay level of the same post in addition to the consolidated remuneration.

Similarly, those who have worked for eight years or more will get 10 per cent more than the minimum pay level of the same post in addition to the remuneration, the statement said.

Employees, who have worked for 10 years or more, will get 15 per cent more than the minimum pay level of the same post in addition to the remuneration, it added.
(editor@dailyworld.in)