The Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) has announced a Diwali bonus for its officers and employees, but nearly 1,700 staff members have been excluded from the payout. The decision has sparked discontent and a formal complaint to the civic chief.
These employees, who joined the corporation almost two years ago, claim they meet all the required conditions yet were denied the festive benefit. Under the agreement between the PMC and the workers’ union, employees are entitled to an 8.33 per cent bonus on their basic salary and dearness allowance, along with an additional Rs 25,000 as ex-gratia payment.
A circular issued by Ulka Kalskar, PMC’s chief of accounts and finance, states that only those who have completed one year of service by 31 March, 2024, and worked more than 180 days in the 2024–25 financial year are eligible for the bonus. However, many staff members argue that they fulfil these conditions and have been unfairly excluded due to a rigid interpretation of the rules.
In 2022 and 2023, PMC recruited around 850 employees in two batches, including junior engineers, clerks, and assistant encroachment inspectors. Many of them have already completed 600–700 days of service—enough to qualify for the bonus based on earlier norms. While some received the payment last year, this year’s circular introduced stricter criteria, leaving many out.
The PMC Workers’ Union has now lodged a complaint with Commissioner Naval Kishore Ram, urging him to remove the 31 March cut-off and restore the previous practice of granting the bonus to all employees who complete one year of service at any point during the year.
The dispute has caused widespread dissatisfaction among staff members, who allege inconsistency and unfairness in the corporation’s application of bonus rules.
