After
waiting 30 years, 150 postal staff regularised
Chennai,
Mar 9, 2012(TNN): After waiting for 30 years, close to 150 employees of the
postal department will finally become regular employees, thanks to the
intervention of the Central Administrative Tribunal ( CAT). A bench of G
Shanthappa, judicial member and R Satapathy, administrative member, passed
orders on the matter.
The
applicants were appointed mazdoors with the department of posts in 1982. While
joining, they were assured that their services would be regularised. Based on
directions in a Supreme Court judgment, the department introduced a scheme in
1991 which stipulated that all casual labourers who worked for eight hours a
day for 240 days every year as on November 29, 1989 would be conferred
temporary status.
Those
who were granted temporary status and had worked for three consecutive years
would be conferred with 'Group D' status. These employees – who are now called
multi-tasking staff – would be eligible for pension and other service benefits.
When
they approached the tribunal in 2010, they were directed to make individual
representations to authorities by listing out their grievances. But their
claims were rejected mainly on two grounds – that they were overage and that
they did not have the qualification.
When
their fresh applications came up for hearing, M Ravindran, additional solicitor
general who appeared for the Union government, said authorities did not have
any objection to regularise their services.
The
bench said there "cannot be any hindrance for the absorption of
applicants" who have been working for so long. "It has also come to
our notice that there are enough vacancies to accommodate the applicants before
us," the bench said.
Authorities
were directed to consider regularising these applicants and give age relaxation
and training for those who did not possess matriculation skills within three
months.
No comments:
Post a Comment