Coimbatore: In the wake of allegations that Bharathiar University illegally deducted Rs 1,000 to Rs 3,000 from the July salaries of temporary workers without prior notice, the registrar on Tuesday assured that the issue would be taken up in the next syndicate meeting and steps will be initiated to refund the deducted amounts.Bharathiar University Employees Union general secretary Rameshkumar said around 450 temporary workers, including drivers, office assistants, sanitation workers and gardeners, have been working at the university for 20 to 30 years. He said Employees’ State Insurance (ESI) contributions had not been deducted for years, and the union submitted a petition to the ESI Corporation. Subsequently, from April, the university began deducting Rs 150 per month as ESI contribution from temporary employees’ wages.He alleged that due to the university’s failure to deduct and remit ESI as required earlier, Employees’ State Insurance Corporation (ESIC) authority imposed penalty on the university, and the administration was now attempting to recover this penalty from workers’ salaries. The union claimed that up to Rs 3,000 was deducted from some employees’ July salaries, impacting low-paid workers drawing around Rs 20,000 per month.According to the union, a meeting attended by the registrar was held on Tuesday where workers raised their grievances. The registrar assured that a note would be placed in the upcoming syndicate meeting and action would be taken to return the deducted money. The registrar assured that steps would be taken to issue long-pending ID cards and payslips to temporary workers.The union further raised the demand that the allegedly withheld EPF deductions for more than 450 temporary workers from November 2019 to September 2025 be examined and credited to workers’ accounts along with applicable interest, as per provisions under the EPF Act, 1952, including Sections 7A and 7Q. The registrar said the matter would be taken up with the higher education department secretary for further action.Officials said ESI authorities had imposed a penalty of up to Rs 75 lakh on the university.
