Bleak future for CDFC contract staff

Bleak future for CDFC contract staff
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Highlights

The expectations of about 70 contract employees of CDFC (Contract employees of Centre for DNA Finger Printing and Diagnostics) were shattered when they were informed about the bleak future which awaits them, by the administration.

Hyderabad: The expectations of about 70 contract employees of CDFC (Contract employees of Centre for DNA Finger Printing and Diagnostics) were shattered when they were informed about the bleak future which awaits them, by the administration.

These contract employees, most of whom are working here for at least 15 years, would now be forced to work in the name of an outsourcing agency with further drop in their salary.

The CDFC is an autonomous organisation funded by the Department of Biotechnology (DBT) under Union Ministry of Science & Technology situated in Nampally.

The Centre has made several advancements in research through the study of cancer in humans and plant species by developing its own labs and is known for its achievements in DNA profiling of various cases over the past two decades.

But, a sudden unease among the contract employees started recently after they were informed that non-regular staff would be shifted to ‘outsourcing’.

These not only include the jobs of junior assistants, lab technicians and attenders, but also technical officers, who are drawing salaries between Rs 25,000 and Rs 40,000.

They represent almost one-third of the more than 200 employees working at the research centre. There are 18 women employees among the list of contract employees.

“I have completed more than 15 years service at the centre with the hope that being a graduate my services would be regularised.

After the construction of a permanent building at Uppal, we hoped that the government would regularise our services, but the situation only turned worse,” lamented one of the contract employees, who did not wish be named.

The contract employees who are yet to form an association for representing the government are pondering over ways to bring the issue to the notice of higher officials.

For now, some of the employees dared to come out in to the open by criticising the decision, but they continue to hold their protest silently within the building. “We are yet to decide on ways to deal with the issue in an organised manner,” added the employee.

Most of the contract employees fear that the government would not only shift them into outsourcing with a reduced salary, but eventually remove them from the job.

After learning about the government’s decision they sent representations several times to the administration, but to no avail. They fear that they would be getting a formal letter in the next few days.

“Everything is at stake. It would have been better had the government reconsidered its decision on the issue”, said T Subash, another employee.

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