Standing Committee Discussion Points S.No.9 – Regularise the existing daily rated/casual and contract workers, and absorb trained apprentices
No labour reforms should be carried out which are not in the interest of workers.
Joint Secretary (Establishment), DoPT clarified that no proposal from Ministry of Railways had been received relating to grant of temporary status. He informed that the Ministry of Railways have their own scheme for regularisation of casual labourers with temporary status similar to the DoPT scheme.
Staff site stated that the issue is about the causal labourers whose services were regularised after 01.01.2004 and why the entire temporary service period prior to regularisation should not be counted for reckoning the qualifying service for pensionary and other benefits. This is similar to item no.29 discussed later on.
Staff-Side stated that Ministry of Railways had sent a proposal that those who had temporary status as on 1st January 2004 before the introduction of new pension scheme in 2004 should be covered under the old pension scheme.
DoPT, in its response to Ministry of Railways, had proposed for a methodology of screening. To an observation that DoPT is not giving replies, JS(E), informed that the instructions issued by DoPT on 26.02.2016 on contribution to GPF and Pension under the old pension scheme have already addressed this situation and such employees would be covered under that.
Further discussion on this point followed later