Commercial tax dept fails to pay its outsourcing staff in time

Hyderabad: The outsourcing staff like data entry operators, hire vehicle drivers and housekeeping personnel in the commercial tax department (CRD) are an aggrieved lot because their payments remain pending from six to 16 months. On the condition of anonymity, many say that their jobs are not secure as they depend on the whims of the outsourcing company officials.

“With no ID cards and not registered as employees we can’t even question the authorities. We are forced to take debts. Some of us are resorting to loans from our PF accounts to survive,” one of the employees said.

The staff are paid once in three to five or six months and have to sustain.

Their continuance under contract violates the Supreme Court judgment which guaranteed equal pay for equal work. “Our union which existed in the united Andhra Pradesh dissipated after the division as some of them went to AP and others left their jobs,” an employee lamented.

The condition of around 300 of those who are providing services through their own hire vehicles is dire. Of the `34,000 per month they are paid, `680 is cut as TDS (tax deducted at source). Many of these vehicles are run by owners who double up as drivers.

“I spend around `6,000 to `8,000 per month on fuel. At an average salary of `17,000 for myself, I hardly make any money. As our payments are not made every month and are given three to five months once we are caught in a vicious circle. I had to take out a loan to pay for my kids’ school fee” said Ravi, a driver at the commissionerate office. (Names have been changed)

A driver faces the predicament of whether to continue with the department or not amid fears that his vehicle could be seized by the financier for defaulting on EMIs. “I may have to sell my vehicle if things don’t change. Once we receive the money we are worried which debt has to be paid first instead of being happy,” said Yadagiri.

A contractor, who pays these staff, on condition of anonymity says that the outsourcing system leaves the employees forever worried about their employment.