CITU Urges Karnataka Govt to Delete Proviso Barring Regularisation of Contract Employees in SC/ST/OBC Act

Newsclick Report

New Delhi: The Centre of Indian Trade Unions (CITU), while welcoming the Karnataka government’s move to amend an Act to enable reservations for Scheduled Castes, Tribes and Other Backward Classes in outsourced government jobs, has opposed a clause that bars regularisation of contractual employees doing regular jobs.

In letter to Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, CITU general secretary Tapan Sen said such a move would deny the right to regularisation for contractual employees, including those benefiting from the Karnataka Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes, and other Backward Classes (Reservation of Appointments etc.,) (Amendment) Act 2024.

CITU has called upon the state government to bring in an amendment to the said Act and “delete the proviso barring regularization and also enable conferment of permanent status to the contractual employees along with same and similar wages and benefits for the same and similar nature of work in permanent and perennial nature of Jobs in the state Govt as well as other private sector in the state, in the interests of fairness and propriety.”

Read the full letter below:

To,

Shri. S. Siddaramaiah Ji,

Hon’ble Chief Minister,

Vidhana Soudha, Bengaluru,

Karnataka.

Sub: Regarding Karnataka Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes, and other Backward Classes (Reservation of Appointments etc.,) (Amendment) Act 2024.

Shri. Siddaramaiah Ji,

 Centre of Indian Trade Unions (CITU) while appreciating the above amendment Act enabling for the reservation to the SC, ST, & OBC’s candidates in outsourced jobs also in Govt Departments and PSU’s, expresses its grave concern regarding the condition imposed in the proviso to amendment clause 5, which bars the regularization of the contractual employees deployed in regular jobs and against the regular posts. Thereby it shall only perpetuate the contractorisation of regular jobs as there is hardly any recruitment to the regular jobs by the Govt including that of back log jobs.

It shall not only deny the regular jobs to the contractual employees from reserved categories but also to others. Hence in essence it shall deny the right to regularization to the contractual employees including to those benefitting from the above amendment Act, which shall turn out to be in core a social injustice meted to the contract employees from the reserved categories, besides others.

 The contractual employees and their service conditions are governed by the Contract labour (Regulation & Abolition) Act 1970 and Rules-1971 under the Act. In Karnataka they are governed under the Rules framed in 1974 under the Act. As per existing law the contractual employees should not be deployed in permanent and perennial nature of Jobs, which should only be manned by regular employees.  Further the contractual employees are entitled to same and similar wages and benefits for the same and similar nature of jobs done by them, which is not and will not be available to the contractual employees in the state Govt services.

Hence the CITU urges the State Govt to bring in amendment to the above Act and delete the proviso barring regularization and also enable conferment of permanent status to the contractual employees along with same and similar wages and benefits for the same and similar nature of work in permanent and perennial nature of Jobs in the state Govt as well as other private sector in the state, in the interests of fairness and propriety.

Thanking You,

Yours Sincerely,

 Tapan Sen

General Secretary, CITU.