Daily wage earner can't claim parity with regular employee: HC

Daily wage earners cannot claim parity with regular employees with regard to payment of salary, the Delhi High Court said today.

"In cases where services of workers engaged on daily wage basis get regularised, such workers cannot claim parity with regular employees with regard to payment of salary and other allowances for the period prior to their regularisation," a bench headed by Justice Pradeep Nandrajog said.

The court dismissed the plea of a group of daily wage earners of Central Public Works Department (CPWD) seeking parity with regular employees.

Referring to a Supreme Court verdict, the court said, "A Constitution Bench has clearly held that under no circumstances can it (the government) be directed that wages in the regular scales of pay be paid to daily wage employees whose services are subsequently regularised".

 

The employees had approached the court after the CPWD refused to give them increments on the basis of the date when they joined the department as daily wage earners.

The department submitted that increments in their salaries and the benefit of Assured Career Progression Scheme from the date of regularisation should not be extended to them.

Accepting the plea of the department, the Court refused to give any relief to the employees.