NEW DELHI: All contractual, casual, and outsourced staff posted in various departments of the Delhi government, civic bodies and autonomous bodies in the national capital will be treated as ‘on duty’ during periods of absence due to lockdown caused by coronavirus pandemic hence will be paid pay or wages accordingly.
A note issued by the finance department this week endorses an office memorandum (OM) issued by the Central government, which mandates payment to employees, who are not on the permanent payroll of the government agencies, even if they had to stay at home during lockdown from April 1 to June 30. The copy of the Centre’s OM has been forwarded to all departments and agencies for information and necessary action with ‘endorsement’ note.
While allowing payments for period during which the staff stayed away from work, the OM issued on June 8 noted that the second wave of Covid-19 pandemic, starting mid April had impacted a large number of people in the country due to which contractual, casual and outsourced staff such as house-keeping staff and stayed at home for various reasons, which under normal circumstances, would result in deduction in their pay or wages.
It further reads that the decision to pay contractual, casual, and outsourced staff was taken to avoid any undue hardships to them under the prevailing extraordinary circumstances. “It has been decided that wherever any such contractual, casual and outsourced staff of ministries/departments and other organizations of Government of India, is required to stay at home due to state wise lockdown imposed by states/ UT (union territory) governments or otherwise as deem fit by the competent authority, they may be treated as on duty during such period of absences and necessary pay/wages would be paid accordingly,” says the office memorandum.