Pune: In a significant development, the state government has issued an order for the permanent integration of 351 individuals who have been serving as daily wage labourers and janitors in the education department of the Pune Municipal Corporation for the past 13 years.
The order explicitly mentions that the service period will be calculated from the date of the government’s directive, and no retrospective services or benefits will be granted. The recruitment of these workers on a daily basis was initially prompted by the requirement for janitors on the education board of the Pune Municipal Corporation.
Persistent demands were made to retain these workers in the municipal service. However, in the absence of a decision from the municipal administration, a petition was filed in the High Court in 2013.
Despite the Municipal Corporation passing a resolution in 2015 to retain these employees, the petition remains unsettled. Consequently, the state government has taken the initiative to adjust the 351 individuals into sanctioned and vacant positions as a one-time measure pending the court’s decision. The order, issued by Deputy Secretary of the Urban Development Department, Priyanka Kulkarni Chapiwale, covers 94 daily wage labourers and 257 daily wage janitors.
The order ensures that salary, service benefits, seniority, and pension will be applicable from the date of appointment, with no provision for benefits or arrears for the previously rendered service. Importantly, the government will not allocate salary funds for this initiative.
Furthermore, the order emphasises that the decision of the High Court petition will be considered final. Additionally, the employees are required to sign a bond stating that they will not seek the benefit of previous service.
