Check on outsourced staff, Labour Department told by Lokayukta

Bengaluru, 01 Feb 2021 [Fik/News Sources]: The Lokayukta has directed the Labour Department to conduct a random check of payments made to outsourced employees, both in government and private establishments, to check whether they are complying with the provisions of the Minimum Wages Act and Contract Labour (Regulation and Abolition) Act. 

“The officers of the Labour Department should ensure payment of wages and also in respect of deposit of the prescribed amount in relation to ESI and PF. If not, the officers should inform the authorities to initiate legal action against erring agencies and employers and to take steps for cancelling the licence and blacklist such agencies,” Lokayukta Justice P Vishwanatha Shetty said in the order passed recently.

He warned that any laxity on the part of the Labour Department officers is required to be viewed seriously and appropriate action should be taken against them. It is the duty of the Commissioner and Joint Commissioners of the department to ensure that officers discharge their statutory duties, without giving any scope for mis-management or mal-administration, he said.

He directed the ADGP, Karnataka Lokayukta, to instruct all Lokayukta SPs and DySPs to get an investigation done in respect of the various issues, such as the number of agencies which have been providing manpower to government departments, number of criminal cases filed against them for not complying with rules, amount required to be recovered towards minimum wages and steps taken to recover the amount.  

After the probe, the officers should submit a report to the Lokayukta listing out the details of public servants, including officials of the Labour department, who were deliberately lax in implementing labour laws, he said.  “I am sure the Principal Secretary of Labour Department will examine the matter and, if necessary, constitute a panel with the assistance of experts of the labour department and take appropriate decision preferably within eight weeks,” he said.   

Fill vacancies

During the hearing of a labour case, it was brought the notice of Lokayukta that the sanctioned strength of the labour department staff is too meagre and even out of that, more than 50 per cent posts are vacant. Shetty said that the authorities are required to create the posts, keeping in view the volume of work involved in the department, and also fill up the vacant posts to make the department effective and functional.