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Pradeep Sharma
Tribune News Service
Chandigarh, January 23
With the Haryana Government set to give postings to the newly-recruited 18,218 Class IV employees, the fate of over 15,000 contractual employees working on similar posts is hanging in the balance.
The threat of retrenchment is staring the contractual Class IV employees employed on DC rates in the face as it is feared that existing employees might be replaced once the newly-appointed staff joins duty.
Sources said there are approximately 15,000 Class IV employees working in the state on contractual basis. A majority of them have been working in various departments, boards and corporations of the state government for 8-10 years. It is feared that a majority of the existing Class IV staff would become ‘surplus’ once the new recruits join.
Having made regular appointments, the state government would think twice before retaining the existing contractual staff as the authorities will have to pay salaries to both types of employees.
Subhash Lamba, general secretary of the Sarv Karamchari Sangh (SKS), the apex organisation of state government employees, said that with the new appointments, there was a possibility of the retrenchment of the existing employees.
“If such a decision is taken by the state government, the SKS would oppose it tooth and nail and launch a statewide agitation,” he asserted.
Officials, however, claimed that the position regarding “surplus” staff would be clear only when the newly-appointed Class IV staff is assigned duties. “As of now, there is no proposal to retrench the existing staff as the state government reserves the right to adjust the existing staff in those departments where there was shortage of staff,” a senior government officer said. Recently, the Haryana Staff Selection Commission declared the results of the exam conducted for 18,218 Class IV posts for which a whopping 17 lakh persons had applied.