Sikkim: State government temporary employees now eligible for 365 days maternity leave

The Sikkim Chief Minister Prem Singh Tamang on January 12 announced that the employees under the state government working on Adhoc, MR, and contractual basis including the probationary teachers will also be eligible for maternity leave of 365 days. 

''At the beginning of the New Year 2023, I am delighted to declare that the employees under the Government of Sikkim working on Adhoc, MR, and Contractual basis including the Probationary Teachers will also be eligible for Maternity leave of 365 days (female employees) and Paternity leave of 30 days, at par with the other regular employees in this regard,'' he said in his social media post.

Notably, in the last notification, there was no mention of temporary employees following which there was resentment as to why only regular employees were given the leverage.

However, in the latest notification, the state government allowed all employees to work on Adhoc, MR, and contractual basis.

''The state government is pleased to grant maternity leave not exceeding 365 (three hundred and sixty-five) days to temporary employees drawing wages/consolidated pay from the Consolidated Fund of the State Government viz. Work-charged/Muster Roll/Adhoc/Consolidated Pay/Co-Terminus basis etc. including Probationary Teachers of Education Department with effect from the date of its commencement'' read a notification dated January 13, 2022.

The notification further said that the state government is further pleased to grant paternity leave not exceeding 30 days to male government employees working temporary establishments and drawing wages/consolidated pay from the consolidated fund of the state government viz. 

''Work-charged/Muster Roll/Adhoc/Consolidated Pay/Co-Terminus basis etc. including Probationary Teachers of Education Department from the date of confinement of his wife,'' the notification added.

The admissibility of the above maternity or paternity leave is subject to the condition that the period of leave so granted shall not in any case exceed the term of appointment of the temporary employee, it further said.

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