KATHMANDU, July 15: The government is preparing a proposal for a policy decision to remove around 60,000 contract, temporary and daily-wage employees working across federal, provincial and local-level ministries, agencies, commissions and offices.
A source said the Council of Ministers and the Office of the Prime Minister and Council of Ministers (OPMCM) are preparing the proposal. The Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) has been holding meetings and discussions with senior officials over the past few days to reach a decision on the issue.
The OPMCM held one such meeting on Tuesday. Secretary of Law Puskar Sapkota attended the meeting along with Suman Dahal, Baburam Bhandari, Balaram Rijal, Govinda Rijal, Dholak Bahadur Bhandari and other joint secretaries.
“We held general discussions in Tuesday’s meeting. No concrete decision could be made as everyone was busy. There were no major decisions. A decision may be taken on Wednesday,” said a joint secretary involved in the discussions.
Another meeting has been scheduled for Wednesday, where the issue will be discussed with all concerned stakeholders, according to the source.
The proposal prepared by the PMO states that a policy will be introduced to clarify whether support services and general technical services should be provided through a public limited company under the Ministry of Land Management, Cooperatives, Federal Affairs and General Administration, or through outsourcing.
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The services include cleaners, office helpers, plumbers, gardeners, mechanics, support staff for resolving Office of the Auditor General-related irregularities, microphone operators, light vehicle drivers, assistant computer operators, computer technicians, data entry operators and computer operators, among others.
The proposal states that revising the existing framework, adopting technology and introducing a code of conduct to facilitate workers in completing their tasks would reduce the volume of support services by at least 50 percent. For the remaining work, individual agencies would determine the minimum manpower required based on job descriptions and workload analysis and procure the services either through the company or outsourcing.
According to the source, around 10,000-12,000 contract employees are currently working at the federal level, 6,000 at the provincial level and 35,000 at the local level.
Contract employees are working across ministries at both the federal and provincial levels. A few days ago, the PMO called a secretary-level meeting to discuss removing contract workers and hiring employees through outsourcing.
Secretaries Kiran Sharma, Puskar Sapkota, Ghanshyam Upadhyaya and Madan Bhujel, among others, participated in the meeting.
The source said the Prime Minister’s Secretariat has shown interest in replacing contract workers with outsourced employees, arguing that outsourcing would improve efficiency and reduce government expenditure.
“Currently, the understanding of the PMO is that hiring workers through companies, similar to the way security guards are hired, will improve work quality and enhance the effectiveness of government services,” the source said.
Contract employees protest proposed removal
Contract, temporary and daily-wage employees have launched protests against the government’s plan to remove contract workers. They surrounded the Ministry of Finance on Tuesday and Wednesday afternoon and attempted to meet Finance Minister Swarnim Wagle but were denied access.
The workers gathered at the main gate of the Ministry of Finance at Singha Durbar, warning the government against dismissing contract employees. They also threatened to intensify protests if their livelihoods were taken away.
Social Welfare Council removes 49 contract employees
Meanwhile, the Social Welfare Council has decided not to renew the contracts of 49 employees amid the ongoing debate over contract workers.
Chakra Bahadur Budha, spokesperson for the Ministry of Women, Children, Gender and Sexual Minorities, and Social Security, who also serves as secretary of the Social Welfare Council, said the council decided not to renew the contracts of employees except permanent staff.
He said the decision was taken as part of efforts to reform the council. According to him, the council currently has 48 permanent employees.
The contract employees whose contracts were not renewed had been working at the council for the past 15 to 20 years. They were hired at different times, and previous governments had continued their employment.
