The Himachal Pradesh Legislative Assembly passed the Himachal Pradesh Government Employees Recruitment and Service Conditions Bill amid protests by opposition members. The bill seeks to exclude the contractual period of government employees from being counted towards seniority and financial benefits equivalent to regular employees.
During the discussion, BJP MLA Trilok Jamwal criticised the retrospective implementation of the bill, arguing it would unfairly impact employees hired on a contractual basis after December 12, 2003.
Opposition BJP stages protest
“This bill stems from a Supreme Court ruling. However, contractual employees will face difficulties, particularly regarding promotions. The government should consider implementing this from a prospective date,” Jamwal emphasised. Other BJP leaders, including Jitram Katwal and Randhir Sharma, echoed similar concerns, urging the government to reconsider and not make this an anti-employee decision.
CM Sukhu justifies decision
Responding to the debate, Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu explained the rationale behind the bill, emphasising that it addresses an administrative error. “Court rulings sometimes direct benefits to be granted retrospectively. This would necessitate demotions for thousands of employees due to inconsistencies in seniority lists. This bill aims to correct such discrepancies,” said Sukhu.
The Chief Minister also pointed out that granting seniority and financial benefits for the contractual period would impose a significant financial burden on the state and require revising 21 years of seniority records.
Balancing interests
The bill seeks to harmonise the interests of regular and contractual employees. It draws authority from Article 309 of the Constitution, which governs the recruitment and service conditions of public employees. Sukhu clarified that when contract appointments began in 2003, appointment letters explicitly stated that the contractual period would not count toward seniority or other benefits of regular employees.
