Jadavpur University has ordered the termination of contracts for more than 70 staff members re-employed after retirement, with their tenure set to end on October 14, raising concerns about staffing gaps across the West Bengal university.
The university issued a notification on Thursday stating that the tenure of all staff members re-employed or re-engaged after superannuation would be terminated from October 15. The order said their services would be restricted to October 14 and that no fresh applications for re-employment or re-engagement would be accepted.
The notification cited an order issued by Vice-Chancellor on October 8 and referred to the scarcity of university staff that had led to the re-employment of retired personnel. The decision has left affected employees uncertain, with some reportedly claiming that their existing contracts were valid until December.
According to sources cited by The Indian Express, Jadavpur University has staff shortages in several departments, including laboratories. The positions occupied by the re-employed workers will fall vacant from October 15, creating concerns over the functioning of departments when the university reopens after the Durga Puja break.
University authorities reportedly said the decision followed government directives that do not allow employees above the age of 60 to continue in service. Sources also said recruitment for vacant posts is expected to begin soon, with the aim of ensuring that university operations continue smoothly.
The dispute highlights the administrative difficulty of replacing experienced staff when regular vacancies remain unfilled. Retired employees had been brought back to help bridge the shortage, but the university’s order now ends that temporary arrangement without providing details in the notification about the scale, schedule or selection process for new recruitment.
Selim Box Mondal, a leader of the West Bengal College and University Professors’ Association, criticised the decision, calling it “not a right decision”. He said the re-employed workers were receiving monthly salaries of Rs 10,000 to Rs 15,000 and questioned whether trained replacements would be available at that pay level.
“If we recruit from outside what will the recruitment process be? How will the selection occur?” Mondal told The Indian Express. He also questioned the university’s reported expectation that new staff would cost less, asking how such recruitment could be carried out while addressing the existing staff crisis.
The university’s next steps are expected to centre on filling the vacant posts and maintaining departmental and laboratory operations after October 14. The notification does not specify a recruitment timetable or identify how services will be managed during the transition.
