Latest news with #GovernmentOrders
The Hindu
13-05-2025
- Health
- The Hindu
Plea for inclusion of substitute health workers in contributory pension scheme
Substitute health workers who were recruited to the government medical college hospitals through employment exchange starting from 1991, citing Government Orders and court orders, demand their inclusion in the Contributory Pension Scheme (CPS). Regarding their demands and the development that unfolded over the years for including them in the CPS, the Tamil Nadu Government Medical Department All Workers Sanitation Workers and Nursing Assistant Union have submitted a report with the State committee head Gagandeep Singh Bedi. M. Venkatachalam, founder president of the union, narrating the events, said that starting from 1991, 384 'substitute health workers' were recruited for assisting the Group-D workers employed in the medical college hospitals in Chennai, Thanjavur, Tiruchi, Salem, Chengalpattu and Coimbatore. Their recruitment was to discharge the work of the Group D workers when they were absent for e duty. As their positions were deemed temporary, several associations and unions demanded service regularisation, pension and leave benefits for them. Heeding to their demands, the State government, in 2007, through Government Order 149 made the 384 workers permanent with a condition that they must have completed 10 years of service by January 1, 2006. As the workers' services were regularised only after 2003, the year notification for new pension scheme was given, the government said they would be included under CPS. After that, G.O. 408 was issued by the State Finance Department in 2009 to include five years of service before 2007, the year when they were made permanent, to consider them as eligible for pension. Following this the association moved the Madras High Court for including them in the old pension scheme as it was the government which failed to make them permanent for those who had joined the service even back in 1991, Mr. Venkatachalam said. As the government went against the order, a two-judge bench of Madras HC ordered the substitute workers to be included in CPS itself, he pointed out. But, in the aftermath of the court orders, the government again denied pension citing the CPS condition that the substitute workers have not completed 30 years of service, he said. It was true that the workers have not fulfilled the 30 years service condition and that could not be their fault as it was the State which recruited them as temporary workers. 'If the same government has made them permanent seven to eight years ago, then they will be declared eligible,' he added. How could they bear the burden of the government's mistake. Even after several developments which assured the 384 workers their employment rights, the State government was yet to provide them their pension, he said. By recording the pleas of the workers and their grievances, a report had been submitted to the CPS committee with the belief that their demands would be considered for their inclusion, he said.
The Hindu
24-04-2025
- Politics
- The Hindu
Gram Panchayat workers organise rally near JSP office, urge Pawan Kalyan to resolve their issues
In response to a call given by the union leaders, many Panchayat workers converged on Mangalagiri on Thursday and organised a rally from the underpass near NRI Hospital to the Jana Sena Party office to bring their issues, including demand for hike in their wages, issuance of identity cards, and benefits like PF, to the notice of Deputy Chief Minister and Panchayat Raj Minister K. Pawan Kalyan. The workers did not receive any hike in their wages, which remained between ₹4,000 and ₹12,000, for the past eight years, Mr. Umamaheswara Rao said, adding that municipal workers for same work received ₹21,000 or more. According to the Government Orders issued in 1999 and 2019, the Panchayat workers should be given identity cards, minimum wages and Provident Fund, but none of these were being implemented, the union leader said. There were around 48,000 Panchayat workers and Green Ambassadors, as part of the Swachh Bharat Mission, employed in 13,000 Grama Panchayats in the State, he said. GO issued in 2019 In 2019, the TDP government issued GO. RT. No 132 that instructed officials concerned to issue ID cards to all employees working on full time/part time/contract basis. The GO also mentions sanctioning of ₹15,000 towards funeral charges for the workers who died on duty. The expenditure shall be met within the general funds of Gram Panchayats, it says. D. Venkataramayya, another member of the union, said that this GO had not been implemented till now. 'Moreover, the Green Ambassadors' wages have been pending for the past one year. It has been 10 months since the NDA government came to power. During this time, we tried to meet Mr. Pawan Kalyan more than four times. We never got an appointment,' he said. The leaders collected signatures from all workers and submitted their representations to MLC P. Hariprasad who assured them that he would bring their issues to the notice of Mr. Pawan Kalyan. The leaders warned of State-wide agitations if their issues were not resolved immediately.
