A delegation of Himachal Pradesh Government College Teachers’ Association (HGCTA), led by its President Dr. Banita Saklani, met Himachal Pradesh Governor Shiv Pratap Shukla in Shimla on Thursday. The delegation discussed concerns regarding the Himachal Pradesh Government Employees Recruitment and Service Conditions Bill, 2024, recently passed by the state government.
Dr. Saklani stated, “The implementation of this Bill will adversely affect approximately 1.3 lakh employees of the state who were regularized after serving on a contractual basis for several years.”
She criticized the Bill as being anti-employee, claiming that it discredits the contributions of contractual employees, despite their recruitment through the Himachal Pradesh Public Service Commission. She argued that the Bill fails to acknowledge contractual employees as part of public service.
Dr. Saklani highlighted that several judgments by the Himachal Pradesh High Court have supported counting the period of contractual service for all types of benefits. She emphasized that contractual employees have performed duties equivalent to regular employees and deserve equal treatment in promotions and other consequential benefits. Denying these benefits, she argued, contradicts constitutional guarantees and violates Article 14 of the Constitution of India, which ensures equality before the law.
The HGCTA urged the Governor to direct the government to reconsider the provisions of the Bill and hold discussions with stakeholders, represented by their organization.
The delegation included Dr. Sanjay Kango, Dr. Satish Thakur, Dr. Devendra Singh, Dr. Chander Verma, Dr. Satpal, Dr. Devendra Sharma, and Dr. Tajendra.
