Same scale for Same work is fundamental right :HC

Himachal High Court passed an orders helding in the petition on Friday that employe should be paid equal pay scale for equal work.  Single bench of Justice  Tarlok Singh Chauhan pronounced this decision while accepting the petition filed by the employees of Special Area Development Authority Shoghi, Kufri and Ghanahatti seeking higher pay scale. In the copy of decision given to Media today court held that equal pay should  be paid for equal work which is not only a slogan but also a fundamental right of Employees.The petitioners were working on contract basis in the Special Area Development Authority Shoghi, Kufri and Ghanahatti and from the year 2009 they were given a higher salary of Rs 10300-34800 whereas in the year 2014 they were given a lower salary of 5910-20200 on regularization of their services. After this, the applicants requested the department through the report that they should also be given equal pay for equal work, which was rejected by the department. This decision of the department was challenged in the High Court. The court, after perusing the records related to the case, found that only for the employees of Special Area Development Authority Shoghi, Kufri and Ghanhatti, different norms have been set for the pay scale, whereas their counterparts are Municipal Corporation, Urban Development Department and Baddi Barotiwala Nalagarh Development Authority. The employees are being paid the pay scale of 10300-34800 with 3600 grade pay from the date of their regularization. The High Court quashed the decision of the Special Area Development Authority Shoghi, Kufri and Ghanahatti to pay less salary to the applicants and passed orders to pay higher salary within three months from the date of their regularization. The court made it clear in its decision that if the petitioners were not given financial benefits within this period, then the petitioners would be entitled to take financial benefits along with nine per cent interest.