Aligning with the quota policy applied in permanent government positions, the State government has now made it mandatory to provide 33% reservation for women in services and posts that are being outsourced by various government departments and organisations. This reservation is within the quota stipulated for SC/ST and other backward communities in government outsourced jobs.
A Government Order (GO) in this regard was issued by Randeep D., Principal Secretary, Personnel and Administrative Reforms, on Monday.
There are currently over 75,000 employees holding outsourced jobs in government departments. The government usually hires third party agencies to provide staff for Group C and Group D posts, such as drivers, data entry operators, and housekeeping staff.
What the GO says
According to the GO, heads of all the government organisations should include the clause regarding providing 33% reservation to women in the tenders/contracts for outsourcing services.
The order stipulates that the reservation policy applies to outsourced jobs lasting more than 45 days and employing over 20 people. Besides, if an employee resigns, the vacancy must be filled in by a person from the same reservation category.
Departments issuing tenders or seeking exemptions under the Karnataka Transparency in Public Procurement (KTPP) Act, 1999, must ensure that outsourcing agencies provide details of their employees to the tendering agency, the GO stated.
‘No job security’
While hailing the government’s decision, women activists and trade union members said this would not ensure job security to such women.
Questioning the need for promoting outsourcing, K.S. Vimala, vice-president of Janawadi Mahila Sangathane, said: “This is a blow to the concept of permanent employment. We are worried if it will gradually abolish the concept of permanent employment.”
“Although their work is equal to permanent employees, outsourced employees do not have job security and are deprived of many benefits that permanent employees get. Ultimately the outsourcing agencies and contractors will benefit. When there is an availability of qualified candidates to fill vacancies in government departments, the government should recruit full-time employees with the same quota,” she demanded.
‘Exploitative’
Maitreyi K. of All-India Central Council of Trade Unions (AICCTU) said outsourcing was one of the most exploitative forms of employment, without wage security, social security or job security.
“A majority of workers in outsourced jobs today are from marginalised communities and are women, who work under very vulnerable conditions. What the government should actually be doing is removing this exploitative system itself and ensuring permanent jobs to workers, which would then ensure that they have dignified and fair working conditions,” she said.
Citing the recent example of arbitrary termination of 55 ward attenders at Victoria Hospital, she said the outsourced employees were at the mercy of the contractor.
“If the contractor changes, the outsourced employees can lose their jobs. Following our protest, the ward attenders at Victoria Hospital have now been reinstated,” she added.
