Excelsior Correspondent
SRINAGAR, June 11: The agitating State Government employees today announced two-day protests throughout the State on June 21 and 22 to press for their demands.
The decision was taken at a meeting of Joint Consultative Committee (JCC), an amalgam of various employees’ unions, here.
Addressing media persons here, Joint Consultative Committee (JCC) leaders said that they took a unanimous decision, after 3-hour long meeting, to take the streets on June 21 and 22.
“JCC will hold protests at all district headquarters of the State on June 21 and go for pen-down strike on June 22,” Mohammad Gafoor Dar, a senior JCC leader told news conference.
“All the employees will assemble at Sher-e-Kashmir Park in Srinagar and march towards Rajbhawan at Chashmishahi,” Dar said.
The employees have been demanding, among other things, extension of retirement age from 58 to 60, regularization of daily wagers, removal of pay anomalies in the clerical cadre, besides budgetary support for Public Sector Undertakings.
The JCC leaders also criticized National Conference leader and Minister for Rural Development and Panchyati Raj, Ali Mohammad Sagar and Minister for Transport, and Consumers Affairs and Public Distribution, Choudhary Ramzan, for accusing the employees that they are working for political parties.
“The employee unions, under JCC, are a platform for working class people to fight for their rights. We have no political interests. We condemn in strong words the comments made by these political leaders against us,” the leaders said.
“We warn Ali Mohammad Sagar not to take cudgels with the employees and allow us to be apolitical, else he will loose his political ground when we challenge him on the political turf,” said Muntazir Mohidin, president Employees Joint Action Committee (EJAC-M).
The JCC leader and president Employees Joint Action Committee (EJAC-Q) Abdul Qayoom Wani said the Government has signed an agreement with us with regard to our demands. “If they implement the agreement we would not take to streets”, he said.
“There is no politics in our struggle for our demands. We will continue to fight for their implementation. But the Government is taking a political revenge against us by labelling us of working for political parties,” Wani said.
The JCC leaders also condemned the “undemocratic and tyrannical” action by the Government on them during Monday’s Secretariat gherao protest.
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