Punjab govt to regularise jobs of 36000 contractual employees; hikes minimum wages of unskilled workers

The Congress-led Punjab government on Tuesday announced regularisation of 36000 contractual employees and hiking minimum wages of unskilled workers working in the state.

Nearly five years after the erstwhile SAD-BJP government brought an Act to regularise contractual employees working in various government departments, boards, corporations and other public sector undertakings, Chief Minister Charanjit Singh Channi announced regularisation of 36000 such employees. Apart from this, the minimum wages of unskilled workers were increased by Rs. 415.89 with effect from March 1, 2020.

To bridle alleged sand mafia, the Channi government also reduced sand rates to Rs 5.50 per square feet from Rs 9 per square feet. Brick-kilns, however, have been taken out of purview of the mining policy, Channi said while briefing the media after presiding over a meeting of his Cabinet colleagues in Chandigarh.

The CM also disclosed that the resignation of Advocate General APS Deol has been accepted and a new appointment would be made by Wednesday. On the removal of the incumbent DGP, Channi said that a panel of names would be sent to the Union government for the appointment of a new DGP.

Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee president Navjot Singh Sidhu shared the stage with CM Charanjit Singh Channi during the press briefing.

A legislation on regularisation of the 36000 contractual employees would be tabled during the Vidhan Sabha session, Channi said.

The decision has elated contractual employees working with Punjab government departments, boards, corporations and other public sector undertakings on contractual basis for the past many years.

The SAD-BJP government led by veteran Akali leader Parkash Singh Badal had brought the Punjab Adhoc, Contractual, Daily Wage, Temporary Work Charged and Outsourced Employees Welfare Act, in December 2016.

The Act was brought to regularise the services of 'A', 'B', 'C' and 'D' group of employees working in various government departments, boards, corporations and other public sector undertakings for more than three years.

The Act was notified in the Punjab government gazette on December 24, 2016, but it was not implemented as assembly elections for the state were announced in the first week of January, 2017.

After coming to power, the Congress government led by former CM Capt. Amrinder Singh had in March 2019 formed a committee for framing a comprehensive policy for the regularisation of such employees in the state.

Former Chief Minister Capt. Amarinder Singh had ordered the constitution of a committee to examine all major aspects of such a policy, including its administrative, financial and legal implications and submit its report to a Cabinet sub-committee for the final decision.

To regularise such a large number of employees, the government had also prepared ‘The Punjab Protection and Regularisation of Contractual Employees Bill’ to be tabled in the Vidhan Sabha in September, 2021.

The Cabinet sub-committee, which comprised of Local Government Minister Brahm Mohindra, Finance Minister Manpreet Singh Badal, Rural Development Minister Tript Rajinder Bajwa and Technical Education Minister Charanjit Singh Channi as members, had accepted the final proposal of the Officers’ Committee made for the purpose.

The committee has recommended that the Cabinet give its consent to the Bill. The government has already worked out the financial implications of regularising the services of such employees, which will entail an expenditure of Rs 1,846.87 crore.

Only employees who have completed 10 years of service will be considered for regularisation. Outsourced employees, however, will not be considered in this scheme.