Bhopal (Madhya Pradesh): Diwali has brought little cheer to over five lakh outsourced employees working in various government departments across Madhya Pradesh, as many of them have not received their salaries even before the festival. This is despite directions from the Labour Department to ensure timely payment of wages and an order for bonus payments.
The situation is particularly grim in the Health, School Education and Higher Education departments, where employees have been waiting for their dues for months. Several outsourced employees in the Health Department have reportedly not received their salaries for the past four to six months. Similarly, payments to more than 6,000 vocational trainers working in the School Education Department are pending.
Employee organisations said the problem is not new, as several outsourced workers were also deprived of their salaries before Diwali last year. This time, too, many have been forced to celebrate the festival amid financial difficulties.
ROMS Portal Cited as Reason for Delay
According to Vasudev Sharma, state president of the All Department Outsourced and Temporary Employees Front, the government developed the Record of Outsourced Manpower System (ROMS) portal to maintain records of outsourced employees.
Employee organisations alleged that delays by department heads in uploading the required information have resulted in employees bearing the consequences. They also said that the agencies responsible for recruitment, salary payments and bonuses have failed to provide adequate assistance in resolving the issue.
