Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, Jan 3: The Government employees from various departments and Public Sector Undertakings and pensioners besides daily rated and casual workers held strong protest rally and dharna outside the office of Divisional Commissioner at Railway Road here today.
As a part of their two days’ strike programme on January 3 and 4 under the banner of J&K Govt Employees, Casual Labours, Workers & Pensioners United Platform, the members led by senior trade unionists Mohd Gafoor Dar, Kulwant Singh, Tanveer Hussain, Akhil Sharma, Hari Singh, Rajinder Kumar, Nazir Ahmed Molvi, Yash Pal and others assembled at Panama Chowk in the morning at around 11 am and then moved towards the office of Divisional Commissioner Jammu Dr Pawan Kotwal in the from of a large rally.
The protesting employees and workers were carrying placards and banners in hands and were shouting slogans against the Govt and also in support of their demands. They said that despite assurance on the floor of the House several times regarding the fate of about 60,000 daily rated/ casual and need base workers, the Govt has done nothing in this regard.
Then they reached outside the office of Divisional Commissioner Jammu at Rail Head complex and sat on day long dharna there. Several senior Trade Union members also addressed the gathering. They were demanding framing of regularization policy for the casual labours/ need based and other daily rated workers and their regularization, implementation of 7th Pay Commission report in the State and enhancement of Medical allowance of the employees and pensioners.
The trade unionists strongly condemned the anti-employee attitude of the Govt and urged upon the Chief Minister to personally intervene in resolving the pending issues of the workers.
The covenor of the Front said that similar protest demonstration was held at Srinagar outside the office of Divisional Commissioner while tomorrow protest demonstration will be held at Press Club Jammu. Such programmes are also being held at various district headquarters.
A rally was also held at Doda under the banner of NTUF led by Barket Ali at PHE complex where speakers raised these common issues of the workers including regularization, release of pending wages and implementation of 7th Pay Commission report.