Grant Quarantine Leave/Special Casual Leave To Government Employees Tested Covid Positive – AIDEF Appeal To Centre

It is a matter of pride that all the Central Government employees including in the Defence and Railways are discharging their duties with devotion and commitments risking their life during this 2nd wave of covid-19 pandemic. Even in this 2nd wave of Covid-19 pandemic majority of the employees are working round the clock in the name of essential services and functional requirements. These central government employees are being exposed against the dangerous deadly Corona Virus.

Many of them are infected with Covid-19 and are either under Medical treatment in Hospitals or in home quarantine. Many of them have already succumbed to death. The Trade Unions of Central Government Employees have already demanded for ex-gratia payment and out of turn compassionate appointment to the family members of the Central Government employees who succumbed to death due to Covid-19 infection.

Adding salt to the wound, the authorities are asking the employees those who have tested Covid positive, to apply for their own leave and no special leave will be sanctioned to them. When smallpox, plague and cholera attacked our country some 5 to 6 decades ago, central government employees who were infected were eligible for quarantine leave. However since all these infectious diseases are eradicated from our country, the government has also withdrawn the provision. The Staff side representatives raised the issue in the NationalCouncil (JCM) for restoration of the quarantine leave considering the present Covid-19 pandemic situation. However, the Government have not yet considered their demand.

Protesting against this delay C.Srikumar General Secretary of AIDEF and member of the Standing Committee of National Council(JCM) have now represented to Dr. Jitendra Singh, Minister of State for Personnel and have requested him to issue Government Instructions on the following three demands –

1) Whenever lockdown is declared by the Government of India/various state governments and when the public transport system is suspended, in such situation the employees who were not able to attend duty, especially those who depend on Public Transports for attending office/industrial establishment should be either allowed to work from home or granted special casual leave till the public transport is restored

2) Employees who were /are tested Covid-19 positive and undergoing treatment/quarantine to avoid spread of the virus should be granted either quarantine leave or special casual leave for the period of quarantine

3) Whenever any family members staying with the government employees is tested positive then the government employee has to remain under home quarantine as per the protocol and in such case either the employee should be allowed to work from home or granted quarantine leave/special casual leave.