In a respite to approximately 25,000 workers outsourced by Uttarakhand Purva Sainik Kalyan Nigam Limited (UPNL) and are employed in various departments, the Supreme Court directed the state govt that such employees should receive the same pay as that of their regular counterparts.
Upholding Uttarakhand high court‘s March 2018 directive on “equal pay for equal work“, SC on Tuesday dismissed the special leave petition (SLP) filed by the state govt.
These employees had raised concerns regarding wage disparities and sub-optimal working conditions compared to direct (regular) govt employees. HC took suo motu cognisance of a letter by a UPAL employee working in a state govt department, Kundan Singh, and transformed it into a petition titled ‘Kundan Singh vs state govt’.
To correct the inequalities faced by these workers, HC directed that UPNL employees should receive “equal pay for equal work”, and mandated that the state formulate regulations within a year to ensure equitable employment practices.
Following the HC order, Uttarakhand govt approached SC in 2018, contending that HC’s directives imposed unwarranted financial burden and argued that UPNL’s distinctive employment structure should not be equated with regular govt employment.
Consequently, Kundan Singh and various UPAL employee organisations also filed petitions in apex court, which combined all the pleas and pronounced its verdict on Oct 15.
Vinod Kavi, state president of Uttarakhand Electricity Contract Employees Organisation, said the SC verdict presents a momentous opportunity for the govt to render justice to UPAL employees.
