Excelsior Correspondent
Srinagar, Sept 13: The Employees Joint Action Committee (EJAC) today urged the Government to incorporate its suggestions before finalizing the report of the Chief Secretary-led committee on the regularization of temporary workers in J&K.
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Addressing a press conference here, EJAC general secretary Sajjad Parray warned that if their views are ignored, the report may turn out to be “one-sided,” rendering the entire “exercise futile.”
He cautioned that workers should not be forced to take to the streets again and demanded that their representatives be formally consulted before the report is submitted to the Cabinet.
With the committee’s deadline ending on September 19, Parray urged the Government to take EJAC leadership into confidence before finalizing the draft report.
Otherwise, he said, the leadership would be left with no choice but to exercise its “constitutional right to protest in defense of the workers’ dignity and rights.”
Recalling the massive protest after the Budget, Parray said it was that agitation which prompted the Government to set up the panel in March.
“We reiterate that all temporary workers, who were left out of previous committees, must be regularized,” he stressed.
Parray said that despite repeated assurances from the Prime Minister, Home Minister, and the Chief Minister, the condition of temporary workers remains unchanged.
“We had met the Chief Minister soon after he assumed office and raised the burning issues of temporary workers. He assured us that our concerns would be addressed, but the budget had nothing for us,” he said.
Highlighting the plight of thousands who have worked for decades on meagre and irregular wages, Parray demanded that their entire service period be counted toward seniority, not just the months for which they were paid.
He also called for regularization across all categories of employees, along with proper designations, promotions, and inclusion in higher hierarchies, bringing them on par with permanent staff.
He further demanded that, given their long years of service, they be covered under the Old Pension Scheme once regularized.
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