Tarun Karthick
Port Blair, 23 October 2023
Mr. Vishal Jolly, National Executive Member of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and former State President of BJP-ANI, has taken a stand on the issue of pay parity for part-time employees in the Education department of Andaman & Nicobar Islands. In a letter addressed to the Chief Secretary of the Andaman & Nicobar Administration, Mr. Jolly urged the government to rectify the pay discrepancies among these dedicated workers.
Mr. Jolly’s letter shed light on the pay of part-time employees in the Education department, who, despite working for more than eight hours a day, are officially designated as part-time workers. These employees were selected from the merit list of open recruitment for the post of Group D, a recruitment process conducted in 1998. At the time, approximately 200 individuals were engaged to fulfill various roles such as Groundsmen and Watchmen that were vital to the department’s functioning.
The scenario changed with the establishment of the Directorate of Sports & Youth Affairs in 2003-04. In response to the new organisational structure, the individuals originally hired as part-time employees were divided into two groups based on the specific needs of the respective directorates. Subsequently, those posted at the Directorate of Sports & Youth Affairs were granted a significant pay increase, equivalent to 1/30th of the pay, according to Office Order No. 138 dated 04.10.2018.
However, Mr. Jolly highlighted the disparity that still exists for those retained under the Directorate of Education. These employees have not yet enjoyed the benefits of the enhanced wages provided to their counterparts transferred to the Directorate of Sports & Youth Affairs.
In light of these facts, Mr. Jolly urged the Chief Secretary to take immediate action to enhance the pay of all part-time employees within the Education department, bringing them in line with their counterparts at the Directorate of Sports & Youth Affairs. This move, he emphasised, would serve the larger interest of these hardworking employees who consistently dedicate more than eight hours a day to their roles.