Committee flags irregularities in hiring of clerks at PGI

The Joint Action Committee of the PGI Contract Workers Union (JAC) has submitted an online complaint to the Central Vigilance Commission, New Delhi, alleging irregularities in the recruitment of 15 lower division clerks (LDCs). The PGI authorities have termed it as a false accusation.

According to Ashwani Kumar Munjal, Chairman, JAC, “Ten LDCs were hired in July for a ‘fixed duty’ under the contractual labour system. As per the policy practised earlier, the ‘fixed duty’ under contract is awarded to ‘relievers’ (who fill in on a temporary basis for contract or regular staff in times of off-duty, strike or prolonged leave). But all 10 LDCs have not worked in the PGI for a single day as ‘reliever’. We have even attached a list of 10 LDCs, who joined in July, and another one of relievers to draw a comparison. Five more LDCs were hired in recently, but the list is not available to us.”

A PGI spokesperson calls the accusations baseless, premeditated and a calculated attempt to malign the reputation of the institute. The PGI authorities said the responsibility for employing outsourced workers lies solely with the service provider, M/s M4 Solutions Private Limited, which operates independently in this capacity.

The official statement reads: “On July 1, 2024, M/s M4 Solutions Pvt. Ltd. submitted a formal communication listing 10 outsourced workers designated for deployment across various departments at the PGIMER, Chandigarh, in strict accordance with institutional requirements.”

The PGI has also clarified that the Deputy Director (Administration) and the administration itself have no jurisdiction over the hiring of these outsourced workers. “In fact, the employment files for these workers do not even pass through the Dy. Director (Administration), underscoring that he has no involvement in their employment. This clear delineation of responsibilities serves to further substantiate that the allegations are not only unfounded but also grossly misleading, thereby, being a deliberate attempt to create a ‘trust deficit’ among public for the institute,” reads the statement.