Haryana: Salary hike for over 1 lakh contract staff set to spark row

The decision of the BJP government to hike the salaries of the over 1 lakh contractual employees employed through the Haryana Kaushal Rozgar Nigam Limited (HKRNL) by 8 per cent is set to spark a controversy with the opposition Congress crying foul.

Poll code violated

The timing of the announcement of the salary hike shows that the BJP government wants to woo the contractual staff by offering a wage hike. The EC should take cognisance of this malpractice as it is a clear case of violation of model code of conduct. — Vijay Bansal, Congress Leader

A routine affair

The salary hike for the staff employed through the HKRNL was a routine affair for which the process was set in motion in June. The hike for these employees is effected every year on July 1. The Finance Department’s approval was taken before the model code was imposed.

Senior officer

Taking a strong exception to the timing of the wage hike when the model code of conduct is in force across the state in view of the October 5 Assembly elections, the Congress has urged the Election Commission of India (ECI) to take cognisance of the matter to provide a level-playing field to all parties in the elections.

“We are not against the salary increase of the contractual staff. However, the timing of the announcement showed that a beleaguered BJP government wants to woo the contractual staff by offering wage hike when the model code of conduct is in force for October 5 polls. The EC should take cognisance of this malpractice as it is a clear violation of the model code of conduct,” Vijay Bansal, a Congress leader, told The Tribune. An order issued by the Chief Executive Officer of the HKRNL issued here today said the Haryana Government had approved an 8 per cent salary hike for the manpower deployed through the HKRNL with effect from July 1, 2024.

The order asserted that the concurrence of the Finance Department was obtained on August 16. Interestingly, the model code of conduct was imposed in the afternoon of August 16 in Haryana, which implied that no major decision aimed at wooing the electorate could be taken by the state government.

However, official sources claimed that the salary hike for the staff employed through the HKRNL was a ‘routine affair’ for which the process was set in motion in June this year. The salary hike for these employees is effected every year on July 1 and the Finance Department’s approval was taken before the imposition of the model code of conduct,” a senior officer said adding that only formal order was issued today.

In the run-up to the Assembly polls, the Haryana Cabinet, at one of its meetings held under the chairmanship of Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini, had approved the “Haryana Contractual Employees (Security of Tenure) Ordinance, 2024” to provide job security to nearly 1.2 lakh contractual employees, including those employed through the HKRNL. Despite the promulgation of the ordinance, it could not be implemented on account of the imposition of model code of conduct for the October 5 Assembly polls.