Contract employees protested last week after a task force under the Office of the Prime Minister and Council of Ministers proposed outsourcing non-graded employees. A large number of contract employees are employed in positions such as cleaners, office assistants, mechanics, drivers, and computer technicians. They staged a protest at Singha Durbar demanding continuity of their jobs and appropriate gratuity or compensation in the event of their dismissal. The meeting of the Council of Ministers held on Ashar 32 approved the arrangement related to the management of employees working on service contracts. It states that no new employees will be recruited on contracts and that old ones will be deployed on a temporary basis, and a study will be conducted on the management of contract employees. The contracts of contract employees expire in mid-Ashar every year. Amid uncertainty over whether the contracts will be renewed or not, the government has said that the contracts will be renewed and used until further notice. What is the government's decision to remove contract employees, and what kind of employees are going to be removed under this? The Cabinet meeting on 32 Ashad has taken a 7-point decision regarding the management of contract employees. The Ministry of Land Management, Cooperatives, Federal Affairs and General Administration, with the consent of the Ministry of Finance, had taken a 7-point proposal regarding the management of contract employees to the Cabinet meeting. The first point of the decision regarding the management of contract employees states that – Contract employees who have previously retired from any government service and are receiving gratuity or pension will be dismissed without continuation from 2083 Shrawan 1. Accordingly, the contract agreements of employees who have previously been in government service and retired will not be renewed.

It has been said that some contract employees will be placed on ‘bridge’, what is a bridge, who is being placed on the bridge?

In point number 1, it is said that after the employees working on contracts who have retired from the government service and received gratuities or are on pension, the remaining contract employees will be placed on the bridge. Point number 2 of the provision on contract employee management passed by the Council of Ministers mentions this. It is stated there that the employees currently working on contracts will be placed on the bridge by making a contract agreement with the concerned body until further arrangements are made and its integrated details will be updated by the Ministry of Land Management, Cooperatives, Federal Affairs and General Administration.

In this way, all employees working on contracts will be placed on the bridge. There is a practice of placing employees who are more than the number of posts in a body on the bridge position. The concerned body should place them on the bridge position and make them present and pay them salaries. The government is conducting a survey on the organization and management of all ministries and bodies. The number of required employees will not be confirmed until that is completed. After the organization and management survey is approved, the concerned body is said to employ employees from among the employees currently employed in the bridge as per the requirement.

What has been said about contract employees working at the provincial or local level?

The decision taken by the government is specifically related to the management of contract employees working under the union. Around 15,000 employees are employed on contract in the positions of assistant and general technical work under the union government. If the government addresses the issue of contract employee management working at the provincial and local levels through an act or by introducing special standards, it will also be affected.

What will happen to contract employees who have been affected due to the merger of ministries?

Until the merger or dissolution process is completed, the concerned ministry has been told to determine the minimum manpower required and employ them from among the employees currently employed in the same body on contract. In addition, it has been said that no new employees will be recruited on contract in newly established bodies or in vacant positions in any body. It has been decided to employ contract employees in such necessary positions.

How are contract employees being dismissed?

The main demand raised by contract employees is to be given proper compensation or gratuity in the event of being sent home without renewing the contract. They are not even included in the Social Security Fund. The Supreme Court had issued a directive order on 9 Magh 2070 to the government, asking it to make appropriate arrangements so that employees working on contracts under the civil service can receive something like gratuity or compensation based on their service period when they are dismissed. However, it has not been implemented. The government has said that it will study this and take a decision.

As per the decision of the Council of Ministers, the ministry will have to study and recommend options regarding the management of contract employees and the service facilities to be provided when terminating contract services. The ministry will also study the conditions of minimum service facilities to be included in the contract agreements to be made when hiring contract employees in the future. Similarly, the ministry will have to study the service facilities to be provided within one month and recommend suitable alternatives if the contract cannot be terminated due to the inability to employ employees currently working on a contract basis as per the approved position.