Shillong: Power Minister Metbah Lyngdoh confirmed on Thursday that the Meghalaya Energy Corporation Limited (MeECL) is building a policy to secure permanent status for its casual and contractual workforce. The corporation aims to finish this framework by the end of November.
This move follows a push from the Coordination Committee of Registered MeECL Employees’ Associations and Unions (CCORMAU). The union set November 30 as the final cutoff for management to act on long-pending demands. Workers remain frustrated by the slow pace of the process. Some have put in 15 to 23 years of labor without any permanent status. CCORMAU adviser Arju Dkhar said the committee decided to press the management to act within the November 30 deadline.
Lyngdoh noted that MeECL currently lacks any specific rules to govern how casual staff become permanent. Officials have held several review meetings to fix this, including one held this past Monday involving the chairman-cum-managing director and the Commissioner and Secretary. The department is looking at a model similar to the state government. Under this plan, 50% of open, sanctioned vacancies would go to eligible existing workers, while the other half remains open for direct recruits.
"There are employees who have worked on casual, contractual and temporary arrangements for many years. The question is how their services can be regularised and what criteria should be followed," Lyngdoh said. The minister acknowledged the plight of staff who have served for decades. He stated that the immediate job is finding vacant, sanctioned posts to finalize the policy. As a corporation, MeECL must make its own call on the final details.
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