MADURAI: Around 240 contractual employees of Madurai Kamaraj University (MKU), who have been working for over 10 to 25 years, alleged that the university administration has not remitted its pending contribution to their Employees’ Provident Fund (EPF) accounts from July 1978 to October 2020.
TNIE accessed the EPFO’s inspection report sent to the authorities of MKU and found that EPFO has flagged Rs 4.89 crore in EPF-related dues against MKU for the above period. An inspection conducted at the university on November 8, 2021, found lapses in maintaining and submitting statutory EPF records, according to an inspection report issued in February 2023.
Speaking to TNIE, MKU Contract Workers Welfare Association Secretary M Savariguru said the university had failed to remit the employer’s contribution to their EPF accounts since the day they joined service. “EPFO, through a letter, had directed the university to pay Rs 4.89 crore towards the contribution due. However, no action had been taken on the matter so far,” he alleged.
He further stated that due to the prolonged delay, the contractual employees were facing financial hardship and uncertainty. “MKU started paying EPFO from November 2019 onwards. Retired employees haven’t received any EPF amount when they retired. If the varsity paid the pending dues as per the EPFO’s inspection report, only then would employees be able to get the minimum pension announced by the EPFO,” he claimed.
He also stated that on behalf of the association, they sent representation letters to the authorities of MKU but yielded no solution. When TNIE contacted the senior official from MKU, he assured that he would look into the issue.