Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, Apr 8: As the talks of the PHE workers representatives with the new Minister for PHE, I&FC Sham Choudhary today remained inconclusive, the workers resolved to continue their indefinite strike and protest dharna at Chief Engineer’s office at BC Road here.
The daily rated, ITI trained and community participation workers of the PHE Department are on strike and protest dharna for the last 26 days. They are demanding release of pending wages of about 35 months and also their regularization.
On the 26th consecutive day of their protest programme today, the agitating daily rated workers held protest demonstration in support of their long pending demands. They were loudly raising slogans against the higher authorities in the department and also demanding release of their pending wages and regularization.
A large number of workers under the leadership of Tanveer Hussain, Union president assembled at PHE complex in the morning and then started protest demonstration. The PHE workers from various districts and divisions including Kathua, Samba, Udhampur, Reasi etc participated in the protest programme. They are demanding framing of regularization policy for all community participation workers, daily rated, ITI trained and need base workers. They also demanded release of pending wages of the last more than thirty five months of these workers.
Tanveer Hussain and several other trade unionists also addressed the gathering and alleged that despite assurances by the former Minister and the Chief Engineer PHE, their issues have remained un-resolved. They demanded that a policy be framed for the regularization of all type of temporary workers.
Meanwhile, the talks of the workers’ union leaders including Tanveer Hussain, Deepak Gupta, Bhanu Partap, Pawan Kumar and Tilak Raj with the Minister for PHE, I&FC Sham Choudhary and MP Shamsher Singh Manhas today ended in dead lock. The minister had invited to the Union leaders for the talks at Dhonthli PHE complex at 2 pm on Friday. Chief Engineer PHE Rajiv Gandotra was also present in the meeting.
Mr Tanveer disclosed that since the minister failed to make any commitment regarding their regularization and even release of 50 % of their pending wages, the Union decided to continue their strike. He said that public is also suffering due to strike and workers are facing starvation but the Government is least bothered about it.
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