MADURAI: Guest lectures in Government Arts and Science Colleges have urged Chief Minister MK Stalin to cancel G.O. 91 as they say it denies them maternity leave as their contracts are only for 11 months and never renewed on time. In a press statement, Tamil Nadu All Government UGC Qualified Guest Lecturers Association president V Thangaraj said that the association had approached the National Human Rights Commission to intervene after female guest lecturers at Bharathidasan University were not granted maternity leave.
Following this, the commission sent a letter to the university to provide an explanation on denying maternity leave. Bharathidasan University registrar L Ganesan replied that as per G.O. 91, dated July 28, 2020, maternity leave benefits have been only extended to non-permanent married women government servants whose appointment have been regularised.
As per the G.O, eligible government workers can avail 270 days of maternity leave while temporary staff who have completed at least one year in service can be granted 270 days leave as the case may be.
However, guest lectures at Bharathidasan University are given a contract for only 11 months and not allowed to complete one year in service, which puts them at a disadvantage. “They are all appointed for a period of 11 months only in one academic year. Hence, these women guest lecturers are not eligible for maternity leave in accordance with the above said leave rules (G.O. 91),” states Ganesan in his reply to the commission.
He goes on to add that the guest lecturers come under the Directorate of Collegiate Education. “Bharathidasan University is not at all the employers to these women guest lecturers. Hence, the Bharathidasan University is not in a position to grant maternity leave to these women guest lecturers.”