Chandigarh, April 17:— The Haryana Government has enforced the “no work, no pay” rule against thousands of contractual employees who participated in a strike from July 20 to August 3, 2024, demanding the regularisation of their services.
In an order issued by the Human Resources Department on behalf of the Chief Secretary, the government stated that the striking employees would not receive remuneration for the 15-day protest period. However, it clarified that there would be no break in the service records of these employees.
No break, but no pay
“The government has decided not to treat the strike period as a break in service,” read the official order. “However, no payment will be made for the duration of the strike.”
The move affects a large section of Haryana’s workforce, including staff working on contractual, ad hoc, or outsourced arrangements through the Haryana Kaushal Rozgar Nigam. These employees had launched a statewide protest last year, demanding job security and service benefits.
Following the protest, the state government passed the Haryana Contractual Employees (Security of Service) Bill, 2024, in the Assembly, allowing eligible contractual staff to continue in service until superannuation.
‘Unfortunate’ decision, say unions
The latest order has drawn criticism from employee unions. Subhash Lamba, president of the All-India State Government Employees Federation, called the move “unfortunate” and said it would cause “huge financial loss” to already low-paid workers.
“The government is punishing employees who went on strike after serving a proper notice. Instead of penalising them, the government should treat the strike period as ‘leave of kind due’ and show goodwill,” Lamba said.
The government’s dual stance — withholding salaries while maintaining continuity in service — signals a measured response, balancing administrative authority with post-strike appeasement amid ongoing pressure from employee groups.
