Shillong, Aug 16: The Khun Hynñiewtrep National Awakening Movement (KHNAM) on Thursday demanded from the State government to stop the move of the Meghalaya Energy Corporation Limited (MeECL) to convert all casual employees into contractual employees.

In a memorandum to the chief secretary Y Tsering, KHNAM state youth wing president Thomas Passah said, “The attempt of the MeECL to convert all casual employees into contractual employees for a period of one year needs to be stopped immediately.”

Alleging that the MeECL has violated the notification of the government of Meghalaya dated April 18, 1989, he said the notification has clearly stated that all proposals for appointment on Contract Service are submitted to the Cabinet for its approval, after having obtained the approval of the Personnel and Finance Department.

“The MeECL has a large number of employees being employed with it and its subsidiary company. They have been employed and served the MeECL for many years more than 10, 15, and 20 years. Now the Corporation is forcing these employees to convert into contractual and to do away with the casual employee,” he said.

Terming the move a clear attempt to suppress their rights, Passah said, “If this contract is allowed to be completed, we could sadly say that the MeECL will not have any employee, but rather slaves.”

He said that as per the contract agreement, the Corporation has also not followed or incorporated the “Maternity Benefit (Amendment) Act 2017 which came into force on April 01, 2017.

Passah further alleged significant verdict of the Supreme Court of India for implementation of “Equal Pay for Equal Work” has not been made applicable to the employee of the Corporation.

The Bench has also said that anyone, who is compelled to work at a lesser wage, does not do so voluntarily. He does so to provide food and shelter to his/her family, at the cost of his self-respect dignity, at the cost of his self-work and at the cost of his integrity, he said.

“Therefore, this attempt of the Corporation could rightly term as “exploitative enslavement” and “coercive”,” he said while pointing out that most of the people were employed in MeECL on a temporary basis for a period of 10-20 years without any security of employment, which given them and their family an uncertainty for future.

Seeking the intervention of the chief secretary into the matter, the KHNAM youth wing president said the rights of these employees need to be protected at all time and it is the duty and responsibility of the government to ensure that the state have employees and not slaves working to build the state.