- Allahabad High Court had directed the government of Uttar Pradesh to grant a minimum payment that is on par with regular employees to IV-class contractual employees who are working under the UP State Legal Services Authority since 2005.
- Justice Alok Mathur referred to the Supreme Court’s ruling in the case of State of Punjab Vs Jagjeet Singh, where the court held that the employees continuously discharging duties commensurate with regularly working employees and are entitled to the same wages as per “equal pay for equal work.”
- The court in its order noted that petitioners who have been working for a substantial amount of time are getting only Rs.7500 per month which is below the minimum wages fixed by the State government.
- It was further added that the petitioners were entitled to the minimum pay scale that is granted to regular employees for the same service.
- In the present case, the court was dealing with a writ petition filed by four contractual employees under the High Court Legal Services Sub Committee, Lucknow who were appointed as Peons and Clerks in 2005.
- They were paid Rs.5000 monthly which was later hiked up to Rs.7500.
- The petitioners have moved the application to High Court in 2015 praying for the government to increase the pay but it was subsequently disposed off in 2018 directing the respondents to decide the representation of the petitioner.
- The said representation was dismissed by the authorities.
- The case was not granted the relief for granting a minimum pay scale after which the petitioners moved to the High Court with an instant plea for a minimum pay scale.
- Referring to the decision of the Supreme Court in State of Punjab Vs Jagjeet Singh, and in light of the facts that petitioners have been working for long periods and are only paid Rs.7500 a month, the court directed the state government to pass new order revising to grant minimum pay scale to petitioners within four weeks.
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