Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, Jan 30: Workers of Chenani-Nashri 4-lane and tunnel road project today held a massive protest demonstration against Government inaction and indifference towards their genuine and legitimate demands.
The demonstration was organized by Chenani-Nashri 4-lane and Tunnel Construction Workers Union under the banner of Centre of Indian Trade Unions (CITU) at Chenani.
The protesting workers were shouting slogans demanding implementation of labour laws & Minimum Wages Act, re-instating of terminated workers by the management from time to time, withdrawal of false and frivolous cases against the workers, wages in lieu of overtime, weekly rest, National Holidays to be paid, grant of casual, earned and medical leave, classification of workers as skilled, semi-skilled and unskilled on the basis of the job performed.
Addressing the workers, State secretary CPI (M) and president CITU, Mohammad Yousuf Tarigami said that the basic right to protest in favour of demands is being crushed whenever people demonstrate. He said that the workers are denied basic statuary facilities and are also being subjected to unlawful victimization in terms of rampant dismissal whenever they protest through a strong contractor management-administration-police nexus.
General secretary CITU Om Prakash lamented that the workers at Chenani-Udhampur road project are not being paid even minimum wages, not covered under social benefits like Employees Provident Fund Act, not being paid their allowances for overtime and there is no sufficient safety mechanism available to them.
Senior trade union leader Sham Prasad Kesar said that the workers who have been terminated should be reinstated without any further delay.
Arshid Malik, president and Abdul Rashid, general secretary of Four Lane Construction Workers Union, also addressed the protesting workers.
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