AP govt faces criticism from contract employees working for long time

Vijayawada: Before the state Budget session, the government is facing criticism from contract and outsourcing employees working for a long time.

The contract and outsourcing employees from all over the state are going to organise Chalo Vijayawada on Thursday demanding various issues, including regularisation of contract employees, increase in their wages and salaries.

On the other hand, the contract doctors working in government hospitals staged a protest demanding a regular notification. Dr A. Kalyan Chakr-avarti, general secretary of AP Government Contract Doctors Association, said that they have been demanding the government recruit doctors through regular process instead of on contract basis.

Dr Chakravarti, expl-ained that though the government initially dec-ided to recruit about 500 doctors on regular basis, later doctors were recru-ited on contract base.

The government should amend the 1994 Act which has been coming in the way of regularising the contract employees, said M. Bala Kasi, organising secretary of AP State Government Contract and Outsourcing Employees Federa-tion.

Mr Kasi explained that about 3 lakh employees are working under various departments as contract or outsourcing employees. He said that roughly 60,000 people have been working as contract workers and the remaining 2,40,000 empl-oyees are working on outsourcing basis.

Mr Kasi said that contract and outsourcing employees of medical and health, education, local bodies, universities and other departments and institutions would participate in the agitation on Thursday.