PHE workers’ protest continues, strike enters 87th day

PHE workers staging protest demonstration outside Chief Engg’s office at B C Road in Jammu on Saturday. -Excelsior/ Rakesh
PHE workers staging protest demonstration outside Chief Engg’s office at B C Road in Jammu on Saturday. -Excelsior/ Rakesh

Excelsior Correspondent

JAMMU, Sept 17: PHE workers/daily wagers’ protest dharna and strike continued on the 87th consecutive day today outside the office of Chief Engineer PHE Jammu and other Divisional and Sub-Divisional headquarters.
These Jal Shakti/PHE workers are on strike since June 22, 2022 and demanding release of their pending wages and regularization of their services. Despite three rounds of talks with higher authorities in the Department, their dialogue remained inconclusive.
A large number of PHE workers from various Divisions and Sub- Divisions in Jammu district, assembled outside the office of Chief Engineer PHE Jammu, at BC Road, under the banner of PHE United Front and held strong protest demonstration. They were shouting slogans in support of their demands and also against LG’s Administration, BJP and other higher authorities in the J&K UT. Many of them were carrying banners and placards in their hands depicting slogans.
The employees representatives including Ravi Hans, Hoshiar Singh, Navdeep Singh, Rajinder Singh Taj, Mohan Lal Sharma and others said that in the past, they had called off their strike merely on assurances several times but nothing happened after that. Therefore, they were not prepared to call off strike until an order from the Government is issued. They decided to continue their strike indefinitely.
Today was the 87th day of the strike, under the banner of PHE Employees United Front (Jammu province). The daily rated and consolidated workers of the PHE/ Jal Shakti department are on strike since June 22. These helpless workers are demanding regularization, enhancement of Minimum Wages as per Central norms in J&K UT and release of pending wages of 70 months of PHE workers.
Similar protest dharnas are being held at Rajouri, Poonch, Nowshera, Sunderbani, Akhnoor, Kathua, Samba, Udhampur , Doda, Ramban, Reasi etc.