Taking into account the welfare of non muster roll (NMR) staff, the Madurai Bench of the Madras High Court on Thursday directed the Public Works Department to fix a minimum scale of pay, similar to that applicable to the regular employees.
A Division Bench of Justices K.K. Sasidharan and G.R. Swaminathan directed the State to pass a government order with that effect on or by February 22. The court also directed the State to pass a government order fixing a wage structure for the daily wage workers engaged by corporations, municipalities and panchayats. It asked the PWD to dispense with the practice of engaging NMRs through contractors.
Enhancing the salary of NMRs engaged at the High Court Bench to ₹18,843, the court said the salary should be credited to the bank account of the employees. To regulate their attendance, a bio-metric attendance shall be followed at the court campus from April 1, the court said. The court further directed the construction of an office of an executive engineer at the campus who shall oversee the overall maintenance of the campus.
Throwing open the doors of the campus for healthcare, the court in a significant direction ordered the construction of a dispensary/hospital at the High Court Bench premises so that the facility can be availed by everyone, including the local residents.
The court was hearing a public interest litigation petition filed by Advocate R. Rajaselvan from Madurai seeking a direction for enhancing the minimum salary for NMRs as per ‘equal pay for equal work’.