LI Network
Published on: December 02, 2023 at 11:48 IST
The Punjab & Haryana High Court has intervened in a case highlighting the exploitation of Class-IV employees by directing the Haryana government to regularize the services of workers who have toiled for 30 years as daily wage earners.
The court condemned the state’s negligent and indifferent attitude, asserting that the continuous engagement of petitioners on a daily wage basis reflected a callous approach, exploiting them to the maximum while offering minimal compensation under the guise of DC rates.
Justice Sandeep Moudgil criticized the State for depriving these employees of potential promotions, increments, and allowances that they would have earned had they been regularized in time back in 2003.
The court emphasized the inequality created between regular cadre employees and the petitioners, not just in terms of financial benefits but also in terms of job security.
The case emerged from a plea by Class-IV employees who’ve served as daily wage workers under the Municipal Corporation, Faridabad, since 1993 to 1995, seeking regularization similar to their counterparts who’ve already received such status.
The court highlighted the State’s failure to regularize these employees, attributing it to excuses surrounding qualifications, despite the petitioners being employed under different rules that mandated only a “read and write” qualification for Class-IV employees in 1982.
It questioned the State’s sincerity in creating sanctioned posts and emphasized that the employees’ three-decade-long service should have necessitated regular appointments. Refuting the State’s arguments, the court declared the denial of regularization a violation of Articles 14 & 16 of the Constitution, emphasizing that public employment should be synonymous with equality.
Drawing upon relevant legal precedents, the court directed the State to consider and regularize the petitioners’ services within a month, entitling them to associated benefits, including salary arrears and a 6 percent interest on overdue amounts.