Yasmeen Manzoor
Srinagar, June 03(KNB): Leaving far behind the pandemic Covid-19, employees across Kashmir valley including daily wage employees of various government sectors have once more come forth with their demands withheld for more than a decade.
Though where the Government is busy in combating the precarious scenario of pandemic Covid-19, employees of various sectors including Power Employees Coordination Committee, J&K state forest employees, Employees Joint action Committee, Health Employees Coordination Committee across the whole Kashmir valley are alleging government for deprivation of several basic facilities since many years.
Demands of the despondent workers, employees include increase in minimum wages, releasing of pending wages, permanating and regularisation of employees from 10 years, curbing contract and casual work, pension scheme, provident fund and other government benefits.
The various protests include:
1. Power Employees Coordination Committee held protests across UTs of J&K and Ladakh against the Government decision of privatization and wore black badges showing their utmost resentment demanding immediate withdrawal of such orders and intentions by the Union Government, terming the move as totally anti-people and anti-employee.
2. Jammu and Kashmir state Forest Employees protest against the removal of Forest act 1978 alleged government of not taking proper care and concern of the forest employees as they are deprived of their salaries from past three months of lockdown.
3. Employees Joint Action Committee held a press conference in Srinagar demanding regularization of almost 60,000 daily wagers and casual labourers working in various government departments.
4. Health Employees Coordination Committee demand time bound promotions, and releasing of pending wages of front line workers who by risking their own life worked for public youth.
One of the employee said, “We are not afraid of covid-19 on contrary we have been striving for our bread and butter for the past one decade as we have yet not been regularized. It is a pity on the part of the administration that I am barely left with two to three years of my service and even our kins have applied for the same post and we are still protesting and demanding to get permanent.”
While talking to news agency Kashmir News Bureau on phone, President Joint Action Committee (EJAC) said, ” Government has released the orders of fresh requirements of different departments but first they should focus on regularisation of the daily wagers working with different department as daily wagers have been at the forefront of the battle against corona pandemic and have been working tirelessly in every given situation.”
He further added, ” we are not against the decision of the government to carry out recruitment, unfortunately the government has not paid heed to the requests and demands of despondent employees as the past governments made several agreements with the EJAC regarding the welfare of daily wagers but till now there has been no outcome of such promises.”(KNB)