New body for outsourcing services remains a pipe dream
There are some 700 outsourcing agencies in the State with about 2 lakh workforce working for the Government. The present basic pay ranges from Rs 15,600 to Rs 22,750 and the total salary between Rs 18,135 to Rs 26,439 (Basic + EPF + ESI). After deductions, the net salary ranges from Rs 13,611 to Rs 19,849. The Agency Commission and GST respectively range from Rs 3,990 to Rs 5,816. The JAC has argued that in case Corporation is established, there will be a hike of net salary from Rs 13,611 to Rs 17,601 and those getting Rs 19,849 will get Rs 25,665. 'If agencies are abolished and salaries are provided through a corporation, the salary will increase by Rs 4,000 to Rs 6,000 for each employee without burden on the government,' says Lakshmaiah Puli, state president of Outsourcing Employees JAC.
'The unavailability of any monitoring system over recruitment agencies and lack of HR Policy for outsourcing employees is leading to their exploitation and harassment by agencies'. This was the observation of Telangana Employees JAC, which in the recent months held discussions with the 3-member 'Officers Committee' to resolve employees' issues.
V Lachi Reddy, Telangana Employees JAC chairman, argued that since there is no guarantee of jobs and yearly increase in payment, it was time for the government to consider coming up with the Corporation. 'There is no compensation to outsourcing employees on termination of contract or in the case of death. Many such cases have come to our notice where employees have died under stress, unable to sustain with their meagre salaries,' he pointed out in the representation submitted to Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy and Deputy CM Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka.
However, official sources have pointed out that such a proposal would take time as a separate Corporation means additional burden on the Government exchequer. Moreover, the finances do not support materialisation of this type of new idea and those at the helm continue with lip service. The JAC leadership was reportedly asked not to raise issues of outsourcing employees with the government at this juncture.
Despite the plan of establishment of a separate corporation for outsourcing services on the lines of AP government, the way hundreds of outsourced employees were asked to leave from different departments gives a different picture altogether. With the month of June drawing to a close, several outsourcing employees kept their fingers crossed as some or the other department workers would be losing their job. Beginning from the GST wing from April where some 95 were shown the door, the latest were workers of Degree colleges and TSGLI department, numbering around 50, who got the news just before the beginning of June. 'I was working in Mahbubnagar for Minority Welfare. Now that I lost the job, I started trying my luck in Hyderabad by trying to catch hold of influential people. Outsourced employees are losing their jobs, primarily in departments where Junior Assistants are freshly recruited,' says a former outsourcing employee working for TMREIS, on condition of anonymity.
Lakshmaiah demanded that the outsourcing employees be provided job security and health security by issuing health cards. 'Employees in many departments are being removed after they have served for 15 years. It's high time the State government resolves the issue at the earliest, otherwise the lives of 2 lakh workers will be in jeopardy,' he said.
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