Excelsior Correspondent
RAJOURI, July 1: After staging a day long dharna yesterday the casual labourers of Kalakote mines went on indefinite chain hunger strike in protest against the failure of management in keeping its promise to raise their wages from Rs 150 per month to Rs 300.
The mine workers who resorted to dharna yesterday in front of tehsil office Kalakote had warned to launch chain hunger strike from today till their demand is met.
Ten workers sat on chain hunger strike while their supporters continued dharna in front of tehsil office demanding immediate hike in their daily wages from Rs 150 to Rs 300 as promised earlier.
The protestors said that the mine workers are working in inhospitable conditions inside the mine and still they are not being paid the wages as they deserve. Besides, they lack all other facilities as authorities have not bothered to improve the lot of the workers for years together.
The protestors alleged that whenever they take the extreme step and launch agitation the management comes with hollow promises and convinces them to restore work but this time they have resolved to fight till the demand is met.
The management was supposed to provide better facilities to the coal workers which it has failed to do till date said one of the protesting worker.
He said depriving coal workers of their due wages who are working in extreme hard conditions inside the coal mines is a human rights violation for which the Government was responsible.
The workers said that they will not budge an inch and make any compromise on their demand this time. They also demanded that the workers be given all facilities which are permissible under mines act. The silence of the Government on the plight of coal workers was a criminal negligence on its part they added.
It may be recalled that last year the Government has assured to hike the wages of casual coal workers from Rs 150 to Rs 300 on the basis of which they call off their strike. But till date the Government failed to fulfill promise forcing the workers to resort to strike again.
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