Coronavirus hits contract staff hard in Telangana

Hyderabad: With 2,750 contract and outsourced employees declared as 'surplus' and some of them already receiving notices, the future of more than 2 lakh workers in Telangana, who continue with the hope of getting regularised as government employees hangs in the balance.

Widely considered as the fall-out of the Covid-19 impact on the jobs is seen not only in the private sector but in the government sector too. The anxiety levels of the contract and outsourced employees some of whom working for more than 20 years has gone up in recent days. There are around 75,000 contract and 1.35 lakh outsourced employees in various departments across Telangana.

Following notice issued to about 750 workers of the Mission Bhagiratha, who form a chunk of the non-regular employees and some 2,000 teaching and non-teaching staff in Education department, already receiving informal communication over possible termination of their services after being declared 'surplus'. Hundreds of others working in different departments are also having anxious moments.

According to sources, the government was pondering over renewal of the contract of agencies which are responsible for providing out-sourced workers.

"Some 2 months back, a review meeting was held and ever since the issue of termination is doing rounds. There remains scope of out-sourced employees being asked to leave and as their work would be reviewed by HoDs," said a source in Secretariat.

Union leaders, who took up the matter with the government, alleged that the Telangana government which should have implemented the GO 14 (2016) failed to ensure its implementation in all the departments.

"Rather rationalising their salaries leave alone regularisation, the State government has launched steps to lay-off thousands. We shall be meeting the Chief Secretary over the issue in coming days," said CITU, state president, J Venkatesh.While others were of the opinion that unnecessary raking up the matter would invite the wrath of Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao. "Yes it is a fact that some outsourced employees who are surplus at offices like Principal Secretary would face review. I believe for now the matter is elusive for the past couple of months. Taking up the matter would prove detrimental to the interests of all those workers," said a Union leader working at Secretariat.