Governments and public bodies increasingly rely on fixed-pay, contractual, and outsourced staff instead of regular employees. On the ground, they often do similar work, but their legal protections differ.

Fixed-pay staff are directly engaged but at lower wages and fewer benefits. Contractual staff have a clear start and end date; renewal is uncertain. Outsourced employees technically work for a contractor, even though they report daily to a government office.

These workers usually lack:

• Job security and clear career progression,
  
• Pension or long-term social security,
  
• Equal allowances and perks enjoyed by permanent staff.
  

Courts recognise this inequality but also accept the employer’s right to structure its workforce. They may intervene in extreme cases – blatant exploitation, long-term work with no justification for contract status, or violation of minimum wage and basic labour laws.

Many judgments say that “equal pay for equal work” can’t be used mechanically to erase all distinctions, but it may apply where classification is clearly unfair. Real improvement often comes from policy changes and union/collective bargaining, not just litigation.