Tripura's irregular employees mark 'black Day' to demand regularization and equal pay

A wave of discontent swept across the state on Friday as thousands of irregular and casual employees observed a statewide ‘Black Day,’ pressing for job regularisation, security of service, and equal pay for equal work. 

Wearing black badges and tying black cloths across their faces, employees from multiple government departments staged coordinated protests, signalling the depth of frustration over long-unresolved demands.

The demonstration was spearheaded by the Tripura Irregular Employees Forum, which has repeatedly raised concerns about the precarious conditions under which more than 35,000 irregular staff continue to serve. Of these, nearly 9,500 are employed in the health department, many earning between Rs 12,000 and Rs 15,000 per month – wages that protesters say are grossly inadequate in today’s inflationary climate.

Forum member Babul Acharjee, who has worked in the health department since 1998, told reporters that successive governments have failed to provide a permanent solution. He recalled that the previous regime had introduced a policy of regularisation after ten years of service, but this was scrapped following the change of government in 2018. 

Acharjee alleged that before the 2018 Assembly elections, leaders of the current ruling party had promised to regularise irregular employees within six months of coming to power, a pledge that remains unfulfilled even after years in office.

The Forum accused the government of ignoring repeated appeals and highlighted the plight of employees who retired without ever receiving permanent recognition of their service. “We are not asking for charity, we are demanding justice. Many of us have given decades of service without security or fair wages,” Acharjee said.

In their appeal, the Forum urged Chief Minister Prof. (Dr.) Manik Saha to take immediate steps to frame a clear policy that ensures regularisation, job security, and parity in wages. 

They stressed that dialogue and decisive action are essential to resolve the crisis, warning that continued neglect could deepen resentment among employees who form a critical backbone of the state’s administrative and health services.