COIMBATORE: Temporary staffers at Bharathiar University staged a protest and sit-in on the campus, accusing the university administration of illegally deducting money from their wages in the name of Employees’ State Insurance (ESI) labour contribution and attempting to recover an ESIC penalty by passing the burden on to workers. The agitation was led by the Bharathiar University Employees Union.Union general secretary M Rameshkumar said the administration was seeking to recover an Employees’ State Insurance Corporation (ESIC) penalty, which the union claimed could be as high as Rs 75 lakh, through wage deductions. The union alleged that the penalty arose after the university failed to deduct and remit ESI contributions for earlier periods as required under the law.The union said deductions were made from July wages, with some workers losing up to Rs 3,000. It said the deductions hit employees earning around Rs 20,000 a month. The union claimed about 450 temporary workers — including drivers, office assistants, sanitation workers and gardeners — have been serving the university for 20 to 30 years.Rameshkumar said the registrar had earlier assured workers that the issue would be placed before the upcoming syndicate meeting and that steps would be taken to return the deducted amount. However, the union said it later received information through the chief minister’s grievance cell that the university finance officer planned to recover “past” ESI worker contributions for the period from September 2019 to March 2025 in three installments during July, August and September 2026.Calling the proposed recovery illegal, the union cited the ESI Act, 1948, stating Section 40(2) permits deduction only of the employee’s 0.75% contribution for the relevant month from that month’s wages. It also cited Section 40(3), which it said bars recovery from wages of penalties or damages imposed by ESIC due to an employer’s non-compliance.The union demanded cancellation of the recovery plan and refund of amounts deducted in July.The protest was held before the Bharathiar statue on the campus. The union said the university officials assured a negotiation meeting would be held on Tuesday and that demands would be considered, following which protesters dispersed, warning of further agitation if issues remain unresolved.
