Daily-wage employees seek regularisation, meet CM

Daily-wage employees engaged with the Punjab Hospitality department, some for the last 15 years, are yet to be regularised by the State government. There are over 70 such people who have served between 10 to15 years with the department and are getting a meager Rs 132 every day as wages. A delegation of the employees met Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal today.

The cash-starved state government, however, argues that since there are no sanctioned posts for these employees, it is hard to regularise them. There are nearly half-a-dozen such workers engaged at the Chief Minister8217;s residence as well.

We had got some respite from the HC in 2003, however, after the government moved a special leave petition in the Supreme Court, the matter was sent back to the state government for re-examination, an employee said.

8220;The government had made a policy in 2006 wherein it said that all those who have served for ten years stand a chance to be regularised. This has not been implemented,8221; he quipped. They urged the government to consider the case on humanitarian ground. 8220;A permanent cook gets about Rs 14,000 a month against barely Rs 3,100 that is given to a daily-wage cook,8221; they said.