Kerala Government’s move to deduct salary of its employees in the wake of the Covid pandemic was put on hold by the high court when it stayed the operationalisation of the order for two months.
Justice Bechu Kurian Thomas issued the interim order considering a batch of petitions filed by a section of employees and their organisations challenging the government decision. The court said in the order that payment of salary to an employee is certainly not a matter of charity and it is a right vested in every individual to receive a salary.
The court also added that the government’s order is not backed by any authority of law, including Disaster Management Act or Epidemic Diseases Act.
The state government, in its order, said that the employees’ salary for six days every month would be deducted for the next five months.
“This would be applicable to employees of all state-owned enterprises, public sector undertakings, quasi-government organisations, universities, etc in the state,” the order had said.
The order also stated that ministers, MLAs, various board members, local body institution members, members of various commissions would receive 30% less salary for one year.
However, the state government had made it clear that there will be no salary cut for those staff who earns less than Rs 20,000 per month.