Thousands of contractual government employees of Himachal Pradesh, who are waiting for amendment in the seniority list after court orders, will no longer get seniority and financial benefits from the date of joining.

On the third day of the winter session of the state assembly at Tapovan (Dharamshala) in Kangra district, the Bill regarding changes in the recruitment and promotion rules of government employees in the state was passed by voice vote in the House despite protest from Opposition BJP members.

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The chief minister introduced the Bill in the assembly on Wednesday that excludes the contractual service period of government employees while considering promotions and financial benefits. Responding to the discussion on the Bill on Friday, Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu, defending the Bill, said some contract employees of the state government had gone to the court and sought the benefit of regularization from the date of joining. The court had also given a decision in favour of these employees. However, with such decisions the contract becomes meaningless.

The chief minister said if seniority is given to contract employees from the date of joining, the government would have to demote a large number of employees who are already regular and this would be unfair.

The Bill ensures that the interests of the majority of the employees are protected, he added. He said some employees have also taken the financial benefits of regularization from the date of joining by putting pressure and following these employees, the rest of the contract employees also went to the court.

The chief minister said this bill is in the interest of the state and it would also reduce the financial burden on the government.

He rejected the doubts raised by the Opposition regarding this Bill. Earlier, BJP member Trilok Jamwal, while opposing the Bill, said that contract employees have won their battle in the Supreme Court, which the government is trying to end with one of its decrees. He said the provisions made in the Bill regarding regularization and financial benefits are retrospective, which is wrong.

further said that if the government has to bring such a law, it should be implemented after the law is enacted. He demanded immediate withdrawal of this Bill.

BJP MLA J R Katwal said the government may have some financial compulsions regarding this Bill, but those who have become regular after working on contract also have some expectations from the government. After this Bill becomes a law, the number of legal cases will increase. Katwal cited a decision of Maharashtra High Court in this regard and said that the government should reconsider sections six and eight of this law.

In these sections, it has been said that this law will be implemented with a back date. BJP MLA Randhir Sharma said the government’s decision to bring this amendment is anti-employee. He said that the government should immediately withdraw this Bill, instead of making it a question of prestige.

BJP MLA Hans Raj said that this Bill should not have come, because it is directly affecting more than 1.36 lakh employees of the state. He said that Deputy Chief Minister Mukesh Agnihotri has advocated many times to give financial and regularization benefits to contract employees from the date of their joining.

As per the provisions of this Bill, the seniority of employees posted on contract will be decided after they are regularized. After various courts’ orders regarding the seniority of contract employees, it was feared that the treasury would be burdened with crores of rupees.