Equal Pay for Equal Work : Government clarification for Contractual, Outsourced and Honorarium Employees – Loksabha Starred Question No.13
GOVERNMENT OF INDIA
MINISTRY OF LABOUR AND EMPLOYMENT
LOK SABHA
STARRED QUESTION NO. 13
TO BE ANSWERED ON 20.07.2026
EQUAL PAY FOR EQUAL WORK
13. SHRI RAM SHIROMANI VERMA:
Will the Minister of LABOUR AND EMPLOYMENT be pleased to state:
(a) whether the number of employees engaged through contractual employment, outsourcing engagements and on honorarium basis has been increasing constantly as compared to regular appointments made over the last few years in various departments, Public Sector Undertakings and Autonomous Bodies of the Central and State Governments and if so, the details thereof for the last five years, department-wise;
(b) whether pay scale, dearness allowance, house rent allowance, medical facilities, children’s education allowance, provident fund, pension, gratuity, promotion and other service and social security related benefits similar to regular Government employees are not awarded to such employees and if so, the reasons therefor; and
(c)whether the Government proposes to formulate a new policy or review the existing system to ensure minimum wages, service security, social security, medical facilities and other essential service benefits to the said employees and their regularisation by considering/adopting the principle of ‘Equal Pay for Equal Work’ in the interest of the youth of the country?
MINISTER OF LABOUR AND EMPLOYMENT
(DR. MANSUKH MANDAVIYA)
STATEMENT REFERRED TO IN REPLY TO PART (a) TO (c) OF THE LOK SABHA STARRED QUESTION NO. *13 FOR 20.07.2026 BY SHRI RAM SHIROMANI VERMA REGARDING “EQUAL PAY FOR EQUAL WORK”.
(a) to (c): The engagement of contractual, outsourced employees and on honorarium in various Ministries/Departments, Public Sector Undertakings and Autonomous Bodies of the Central Government is done in a decentralized manner by the respective establishments based on their administrative and operational requirements. Data regarding such employees is maintained by respective establishment.
Regular employees are governed by specific Service Rules and Recruitment Rules of the respective establishment. Contractual and outsourced employees are covered under the terms and conditions of their contract subject to statutory provisions. The Government has enacted labour laws to protect interest of workers.
The Central Government has formulated the four Labour Codes, namely, the Code on Wages, 2019, the Industrial Relations Code, 2020, the Code on Social Security, 2020 and the Occupational Safety, Health and Working Conditions Code, 2020 after amalgamating, simplifying and rationalising the relevant provisions of the previous 29 Central Labour Acts. The four Labour Codes have come into force with effect from 21.11.2025. The Central Rules under all four Labour Codes have been notified on 08.05.2026.
In the Labour Codes, the Government has made important provisions to protect interest of contract workers such as universalization of minimum wages to all employments, minimum wages cannot be lower than floor wage fixed by the Central Government, timely payment of wages to all employees, gender neutrality and prohibition of discrimination in recruitment and wage payment. Women workers are allowed to work in all establishments, for all types of work including during night subject to their consent and safety, universal application of occupational safety, health and welfare standards in all establishments having 10 or more workers and even for establishment with one employee, carrying out hazardous or life-threatening occupations, formalization of employment through mandatory issue of appointment letter, employer to provide free of cost annual health check-up for employees, provisions of welfare facilities by principal employer, overtime at the double the rate of wages, principal employer to set up a Committee for redressal of grievances of contract workers related to health, working conditions, wages etc. and disposal of grievances within 30 days, social security through EPFO and ESIC.
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