Govt withholds allowances of 4,654 employees

Pradeep Sharma

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, July 27

In another jolt to 4,654 employees adversely affected by a recent judgment of the Punjab and High Court, the Haryana Government on Friday withheld allowances to the staff, setting the stage for another confrontation with employees’ unions.

In its order to the heads of the departments, the Chief Secretary’s office withheld leave travel concession (LTC), child education allowance, childcare leave, annual increment, loans and promotion to affected employees “till further decision of the state government”.

On May 31, the HC had quashed four policies framed by the Haryana Government in 2014 to regularise the services of contractual and ad hoc employees.

Sources said the Manohar Lal Khattar government was waiting for a report of the Chief-Secretary-led committee that was constituted to advise the government on the further course of action before zeroing in on any option for the affected employees.

Meanwhile, the Sarv Karamchari Sangh (SKS), the apex body of state government employees, has suggested that the state government should get a Bill passed in the forthcoming monsoon session of the Assembly and, subsequently, sent it to the Centre for “ratification”.

“The passage of the Bill in the Assembly and its ratification by the Central Government seems to be the only solution to the problems of 4,654 employees affected by the HC judgment,” Subhash Lamba, SKS general secretary, told The Tribune.