Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, July 22: PHE workers held protest demonstration in Jammu and all other districts headquarters in support of their demand of regularization of the pending consolidated/ daily rated/ CP/ITI trained workers and release of their wages pending for the last several months.
A large number of workers including daily wagers and regular employees under the banner of Water Works (PHE) Employees Association led by its president and INTUC leader Shiv Kumar Sharma assembled at BC Road PHE complex and held strong protest demonstration and dharna outside the office of Chief Engineer. They were raising slogans in support of their demands. The workers who are continuously without pay for the last over six months are demanding their wages as their families have come on the verge of starvation.
The protesting workers also raised loud slogans against the higher authorities in the PHE authorities for their failure to mitigate the sufferings of the workers. They pointed out that many workers have remained unpaid for the last about 30 months and the top officers have not cleared their pending wages on different pretexts.
While addressing gathering Association president Mr Sharma criticized the Government for its discriminatory attitude in regularization of daily rated workers on Jammu region and also bias approach in release of wages of the Jammu workers. The authorities are violating Minimum Wages Act and are paying just Rs 980 to Rs 4000 per month to the PHE workers. He demanded that all the pending demands of the workers be resolved without any more delay. He also demanded release of 17 % DA installment, release of 5th installment of 6th Pay Commission arrears, enhancement of wages from Rs 150 to Rs 350 per day of all daily wages, CP and ITI workers, repair of old pump stations/ buildings/ chowkidar quarters etc
Other trade union leaders, Jyoti Parklash (CP Workers body), Navdeep Singh, Rajinder Singh, Vinod Kumar, Ajay Sharma, Raman Kumar and Madan Lal also addressed the workers.
Similar protest demonstrations were also held at Samba, Kishtwar, Kathua, Udhampur, Rajouri, Doda, Ramban, Poonch and Reasi.
At Udhampur, the need base ITI/ CP workers held strong protest at PHE complex MH Chowk. The semi-naked temporary workers were demanding release of their wages and also their regularization. Most of them have not been paid by the higher authorities for the last six months. They alleged that due to non-payment their families are facing starvation. They also raised slogans against PHE Minister Sukhnandan Choudhary.
In Poonch the trade union leader and district INTUC chief Faiz Akbar Chohan was leading the protest. He alleged that Government has failed to address the pending issues of the workers and provide them their wages which is sheer violation of Human Rights.
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