In Uttar Pradesh, over 6 lac jobs are outsourced. Government is outsourcing candidates in various departments instead of regular recruitments. This might be beneficial from the perspective of employment as government needs to pay less salary to these contractual employees and thus government can hire more candidates. But issues of illegal actions and exploitation of these employees have recently come to light.
Complaints about illegal actions and exploitation of outsourcing workers are widespread in Uttar Pradesh. To address these issues and hold service provider agencies accountable, the government is planning to establish an Outsource Service Corporation. This corporation, operating under the Labor Department, will be granted extensive powers to take effective measures while safeguarding the interests of workers.
Currently, over 6 lakh outsourcing workers are employed across the state, handling critical tasks in key public service departments, including health. Although the government has set standards for salaries, facilities, and other service conditions for these workers, the lack of a structured monitoring mechanism from appointment to termination often leads to misuse of these standards by agencies.
Key Measures Under the Proposal
- Mandatory Registration: All outsourcing agencies will need to register with the corporation. Departments will only select agencies from this pool.
- Supervised Recruitment: The corporation will oversee the recruitment process conducted by agencies to ensure transparency and compliance.
Recent Developments
The Labor and Employment Department recently presented the proposed policy to Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath. The CM emphasized that the policy should be both effective and employee-centric. Key directives include:
- EPF Accounts for Workers: All outsourced employees must have an EPF account with regular contributions by their employers. Agencies failing to comply will face direct accountability.
- Direct Salary Disbursement: Salaries of workers may be directly transferred to their bank accounts via the corporation, with agencies receiving only a fixed commission. This will eliminate issues like delayed payments or underpayment.
Additional Safeguards
- Police Verification: To prevent individuals with criminal records from being hired, police verification will be mandatory for all employees.
- Termination Oversight: Employee termination will require approval from a competent officer in the relevant department.
- Minimum Pay Scales: Pay scales will be standardized across different cadres to ensure fairness.
- Merit-Based Recruitment: The system may shift from randomization to an academic-based merit system for more transparent and equitable hiring.
These measures aim to bring transparency, fairness, and accountability to outsourcing practices in the state while protecting the rights and interests of workers.
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