Excelsior Correspondent
Srinagar, Oct 4: The Member Legislative Assembly (MLA) Kulgam and State Secretary CPI (M) M Y Tarigami today while demanding end to crackdown against striking employees asked the Government to take the legislature into confidence about the talks held with employees’ unions.
Raising the issue in the Legislative Assembly this morning before the beginning of Question Hour, Tarigami expressed concern over use of force against the employees and demanded that the House be taken into confidence.
“Why talks between employees and the Government failed. It does not augur well for the Government to invoke draconian laws like ESMA against its own employees. There should be no more crackdowns against employees and their leaders”, demanded the MLA.
Tarigami wanted to know what led to the failure of the talks between State Government and striking employees. He demanded a statement from the Government in the House on the issue.
The BJP MLA Professor Chaman Lal Gupta also asked about reasons for the failure of talks with employees. He said House should be taken in confidence over the issue and demanded negotiations with the employees and early resolution of the issue.
In the meantime, despite arrests of their top leadership by the Government, over four Lakh State Government employees observed pen down cum lock out strike today and are all geared up to Assembly gherao for October 5 to press for their demands.
Joint Consultative Committee (JCC), an amalgam of various employees’ unions, had given a five-day protest calendar last week after their meeting with the Government failed to meet their demands already mentioned in the agreement.
“Despite Government threats, restrictions and tyrannical orders, our employees made the strike a successful,” Wani said.
Wani told Excelsior that the JCC, which represents 4.5 lakh employees was simply demanding time bound implementation of the agreement which obviously, the Government has agreed upon.
Warning all the officers who were following “tyrannical” orders to weaken the employee struggle for their “genuine” demands, Wani said: “they should listen to the dictates of their conscience.”
Wani said: “Whatever perks they (officers) got so for was because of employees’ struggle,” adding that they should fully support the employees movement and should refrain from anti-employees’ policies.
JCC leader warned the Government against any action against the employees in tomorrow’s Assembly gherao program. “Any action against employees will have serious consequences’ and Government would be responsible for it,” Wani said.
JCC, which spearheads the ongoing agitation, has 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.
Earlier, on the Government orders police launched a crackdown on JCC leadership and detained some their top leadership.
The JCC and Employees Joint Action Committee (EJAC), president, Abdul Qayoom Wani, has been kept in Kothi Bagh Police lock up along with scores of JCC top leaders who were shifted to Central jail. They include Nusrat Beigh, Peer Nisar, Sajjad Parray, Farooq Sofi, Syed Iqbal, Nasir A Wani, Isaaq Ganaie, Mian Imtiyaz and Manzoor Pampori.
The leaders said they are not begging before Government, but have been struggling for their legitimate rights. JCC leaders warned the Government for serious consequences’ and said that Government should not under estimate the power of employees.
The teachers’ said they won’t be weakened by the Government threats and assured full support to the JCC program. The Teachers Forum condemned the detention of employees and its provincial presidents, Mohammad Afzal Bhat.
Meanwhile, Jammu and Kashmir Rahbar e Taleem teachers Forum has deferred three-day protest, which was scheduled from October 7.
General Secretary of the forum, Farooq Ahmad Tantray said: “We has sent legal notice through High Court to Government and gave four weeks time to to them to concede our demands.”
ReTs also warned if their demands are not met within four weeks, they would close all the schools and come on roads to protests against the Government.
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