Darjeeling, June 30: Ad-hoc workers of the DGHC suspended their fast-unto-death today after the hill council issued an order that pointed to an end to time-bound contracts.

The 8,000 ad-hoc employees have been working in the council on six-month contracts for the past 20 years. Their association — the Janmukti Asthai Karmachari Sangathan — launched the indefinite hunger strike demanding regularisation from Saturday.

The order (No. 23/CPD) dated June 30, 2008 reads: “In view of the fact that the contract of the contractual employees of DGHC has come to an end on 20/6/2008 and the new agreement….will take some time for approval by the government, I hereby issue this order allowing all the contractual employees of the DGHC to continue in their respective status until such time the new agreement comes to force.” The order was signed by B.L. Meena, the caretaker administrator of the DGHC.

At a meeting with the Gorkha Janmukti Morcha-affiliated Asthai Karmachari Sangathan, the Bengal government had in principle agreed to regularise the services of the ad-hoc employees and also do away with the six-month contracts until the process is completed.

“It is certain that the workers will no longer be under six-month contracts,” said the Darjeeling district magistrate and principal secretary of the council, Rajesh Pandey, today.

The DGHC always had the power to regularise the services of Group C and D employees after seeking due approval from the state government, but in the past, former administrator of the council and GNLF chief Subash Ghisingh had refrained from using it.

Following today’s development, Asthai Karmachari Sangathan suspended its protests. “Since we have received a written assurance in the form of the official order, we have decided to suspend the agitation for some time,” said Machendra Subba, the president of the association.

The employees will keep drawing the usual monthly remuneration until the new agreement comes into force. The current salaries of the DGHC workers range from Rs 2,000 to Rs 3,500 a month.

It is learnt that the council could take almost a year to complete the regularisation process and there is a proposal to increase the monthly salary of the workers in the intervening period.