LIC employees demand fresh recruitment
Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU/ SRINAGAR, Nov 26: Various Trade Unions, farmers’ organisations today held protest demonstrations across the Jammu and Kashmir in support of the call given by Samyukt Kisan Morcha (SKM) and Central Trade Union(CTUs).
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As a part of country-wide protest in support of their demands, the Jammu & Kashmir CITU, J&K Kisan Tehrik and other CTUs organized one-day demonstration near Maharaja Hari Singh statue at Jammu. A large number of workers and farmers from different organizations gathered there with placards in their hands and shouted slogans against the anti-worker and anti-farmer policies of government and in support of their genuine demands.
While addressing the protestors, MY Tarigami, MLA and president of state committee of CITU said that the working people of India are facing a deep crisis with the policies of government. He said that the cost of cultivation and inflation is rising at higher than 12-15%, every year but the Government is increasing MSP by only 2 to 7% as it raised national paddy MSP by only 5.35% to Rs. 2300 per quintal in 2024-25 without applying C2+50% formulae and no guarantee of procurement as the Central Govt failed to lift the crop from APMC procured last year. The farmers are being forced to come out on the streets again to save their meager MSP, APMC Markets, FCI and PDS supply.
He said that the Govt is imposing digitization of land and crops, through Digital Agriculture Mission and also planning to promote contract farming. He said the National Cooperation Policy announced by the government aimed at to takeover of post-harvest operations and divert Cooperative Sector credit to Corporate. He said FCI storage, Central Warehouse Corporation and the APMC market yards, all are being rented out to Corporate companies. The agrarian crisis forces rural youth in lakhs to migrate to towns, he cautioned. Moreover, four labour codes-being imposed by the Central Govt, annuls any guarantee on minimum wages, secured employment, social security, proper working time and right to form unions.
Senior Trade unionists- Hari Singh, Kishore Kumar, Om Prakash, Muzafar Wani, Ramesh Chand, and Rajesh Sharma also accompanied.
Meanwhile, workers from various departments, under the banner of CITU, held another demonstration at Srinagar, demanding their regularization and the implementation of the Minimum Wages Act (MWA).
Abdul Rashid Pandit, Convener of CITU, Kashmir, stated that the protest aims to press for the long-pending demands of workers and farmers.
“We have been raising our issues for several years, but this Government remains deaf. They are not working to benefit the workers and growers,” he said.
Pandit demanded that ASHA and Anganwadi workers be paid Rs 26,000 per month as per the Minimum Wages Act, which, he added, has been a longstanding demand of the trade union. He expressed hope that the current Government would address their grievances and focus on the welfare of scheme workers and farmers.
Latiefa Ganai, Co-Convenor, emphasized that scheme workers must be regularized, as recommended by the 45th and 46th Indian Labour Conferences. “There are also directives from the Supreme Court regarding gratuity and pensions for scheme workers after retirement, which the Government must ensure,” she said.
CITU leaders and workers also stressed the need to prevent the privatization of Public Sector Undertakings and Public Services, including defense, railways, health, education, and electricity.
On the call of All India Insurance Employees’ Association, LIC employees of Jammu & Kashmir held massive demonstrations outside their offices in support of the joint protest of CTUs and SKM.
Divisional Secretary Northern Zone Insurance Employees’ Association Srinagar Division, Pawan Gupta said that LIC employees fully support the demands of the workers, peasants and people of India at large which included, no privatisation of PSUs including insurance and banks, minimum wage of Rs 26,000 per month for workers, legally guaranteed MSP for all crops as per report of MS Swaminathan, abolition of contractual jobs, repeal of the four labour codes, social security for all workers etc. He demanded immediate recruitment in LIC especially in Class 3 & 4 cadre in view of shortage of staff.
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