State zeroing in on surplus staff

MUMBAI, JANUARY 4: The State Government may have taken the first, silent step towards cutting down the number of its employees as per the ...

MUMBAI, JANUARY 4: The State Government may have taken the first, silent step towards cutting down the number of its employees as per the Fifth Pay Commission report which has clearly stated that if its recommendations on hiking the salaries are to be adopted, the government will also have to slash the existing staff strength by at least 30 percent.

With a circular issued on November 1, 1999, the Vilasrao Deshmukh government has launched a massive exercise to identify the surplus employees. And though it seems rather harmless with a name like surplus category plan,8217; it could be an innocuous step towards retrenchment of the surplus employees.

Talking to The Indian Express, a senior government official said the government has directed all the secretaries as well as heads of the departments at the divisional as well as district level to identify the surplus staff and submit a comprehensive report to the Chief Secretary within a stipulated time.

The circular, inter-alia, states that the GeneralAdministration Department is in the process of of providing alternate jobs to the surplus employees. 8220;For a long time, the issue of surplus staff was under the consideration of the government. Now, we have taken it up on top priority and accordingly, we have drawn up a plan and our main emphasis will be on voluntary retirement of the surplus staff,8221; the official explained.

Significantly, the circular is silent on non-availability of jobs. Though it provides for a voluntary retirement scheme for such employees who have completed 15 years, no guarantee has been given for those employees who do not qualify for the voluntary retirement scheme but are in surplus.

The government seems to be going ahead with the plan seriously and has made it very clear that if there is a delay on the part of the head of the department in identifying the surplus staff, stern action will be taken against him.

However, though the government is playing down the move, trade union leaders are already crying foul. R G Karnik, whothe General Secretary of the State Government Employees Federation, has pointed out though the circular provides for job protection, the same will be outside the existing place of work and may be lower in rank. And if there are no vacancies, then a committee headed by the Chief Secretary will decide the fate of such employees. Only such surplus employees who have completed three years of continuous service, have been recruited through a proper channel, have a fitness certificate and have passed the departmental examination will be considered for re-employment.

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8220;Since no guidelines have been prescribed for declaring the surplus employees, we fear that there will be large scale misuse of power. Under such circumstances, we fear that there will be massive retrenchment of surplus employees,8221; arnik.