Strong condemnation of the halt in regular Group-D recruitment and failure to regularize contract and outsourced employees by amending the existing policy

Patiala, October 12 (Manpreet Singh):- Thousands of regular Class IV posts have remained vacant for a long time in Punjab’s government and semi-government departments, while a large number of regular posts have been abolished. The contract and outsourcing systems have been in place for decades, resulting in the economic exploitation of employees.

Recruitment of beldars, mates and other staff in the Public Works Department and the Irrigation and Drainage Department has not been conducted for a long time. Instead of recruiting regular watchmen in food grain agencies, the work is being managed by hiring outsourced employees. Regular recruitment of ward attendants, sanitation workers, gardeners and watchmen in civil hospitals has been stopped. In government schools, sewadars, sanitation workers and watchmen are being hired for just Rs 3,000 and Rs 5,000 per month, leading to their economic exploitation.

Employees hired on contract and through outsourcing are not being regularized in the Group-D pay scales. Instead, a flawed policy issued on 16-05-2023 has violated the civil service rules. The Insource Act-2026, containing numerous shortcomings, has been passed to bring outsourced employees and security guards in-house. Under this Act, security guards of food grain agencies with 10–15 years of service have been denied the opportunity to be brought in-house, triggering widespread anger among employees.

By stopping regular recruitment to Group-D posts, the Punjab Government has virtually closed the entry of children from economically poor and less-educated families, including Dalit families, into government jobs. This is highly condemnable.

Taking serious note of the matter, the state president of the Class Four Government Employees Union Punjab, with its head office at 1680-22B, Chandigarh, Darshan Singh Lubana; acting president Jaswinder Pal Ugghi; chairman Sukhdev Singh Surtapuri; and secretary-general Ranjit Singh Ranwan strongly criticised the Bhagwant Mann-led Punjab Government and announced that it would be taught a lesson in the 2027 elections. They also condemned the MLAs and ministers belonging to Dalit families who won from reserved constituencies and are part of the government.

The union announced that it would strongly demand immediate regular recruitment to Group-D posts and the regularization of contract and outsourced employees in full pay scales. It also warned of an intense struggle if the demands were not met.

Prominent union leaders Darshan Singh Lubana and Ranjit Singh Ranwan said that the 15 per cent increase in minimum wages had not been implemented for outsourced workers, including sanitation workers, working in various wings of the Health Department. User-charge workers are also among those affected.

The leaders said that although various departments had initiated the process of bringing outsourced workers in-house and were collecting data, no such action was being taken in the Health Department. Meetings were held with the Health Minister on 15-09-2026 and with the Director of Health Services on 23-09-2026 and 30-09-2026, but the situation remains unchanged.

Therefore, a protest will be held at the Health Minister’s private residence in Patiala on 17-10-2026, and memorandums will be submitted to press for the implementation of the above demands.