Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU/Srinagar, Jan 8: As a part of country-wide general strike, different protest demonstrations were held today under the banner of CITU at Jammu, Srinagar, Kathua, Budgam, Baramulla, Shopian, Anantnag, Kulgam, Kupwara, Ganderbal and Bandipora in support of 12-point charter of demands.
The major demands of the workers class included, urgent measures for containing price-rise, unemployment through concrete measures, strict enforcement of all basic labour laws and stringent punitive measures for violation of labour laws, universal social security cover for all workers, minimum wages of not less than Rs 18,000 per month with provisions of indexation, stoppage of disinvestment in Central/State PSUs and strategic sale, stoppage of contractorisation in permanent perennial work and payment of same wage and benefits for contract workers as regular workers for same and similar work.
A large protest demonstration was held here at Jammu under the banner of CITU. The protest rally was addressed by different trade union leaders who expressed their concern over problems being faced by the working class. The two days’ strike is part of the continuous struggle against the anti-worker and anti-people neoliberal regime, which the BJP led Government is pursuing vigorously.
While addressing the rally, Mohd Yousuf Tarigami, State president CITU expressed serious concern over the plight of the working class who are badly hit by the neo-liberal economic policies of the Central and State Governments. He said these policies are affecting the workforce across the country. He said Recently Modi Govt approved amendment to the Trade Unions Act of 1926. The proposed amendment reveals Government’s dubious intention to impose conditions of slavery on the working people. He alleged that Government is formulating Labour Laws which are totally pro-corporate and anti-labour class in nature.
He said employment situation has worsened under this regime with steep fall in permanent jobs and increase in precarious jobs like contract, casual, temporary, fixed term, part time, apprentices, trainees etc. Tarigami said daily wagers, casual labours, need based, seasonal, Anganwadi workers/ helpers, ASHA’s under NHM, CPWs, Mid-Day Meal Workers, MGNREGA employees, contractuals, are neglected and their long pending demands are not met.
Om Parkash, general secretary CITU, Ghulam Nabi Malik, general secretary Kisan Tehreek, Pawan Gupta and Romesh Chand from LIC Union, Anita Rajput from ASHA Workers Union, Surwan Kumar of Rehdi and Fadi Workers Union, Muzafar Wani senior CITU leader and Ramesh Chand from Kalakote Coal Mine Workers Union also spoke on the occasion.
Meanwhile, All India Association of Central Excise Gazetted Executive Officers, J&K un it also held protest demonstration followed by mass dharna outside their office complex at Rail head, Jammu today. They projected their demands during the protest.
In Srinagar, J&K Co-ordination Committee of Trade Unions (JKCCTU) took out a protest rally at Partap Park in support of two days national strike of Central Trade Inions and employees Federations especially by All India State Government Employees Federation (AISGEF).
Hundreds of employees and workers including a large number of women employees assembled at Partap park and took part in the protest rally. The protesting members criticized the Government’s “anti-employees policies” and highlighted the immediate demands like scraping of PFRA and continuing of statutory pension scheme, effective wage and regularization policy for all temporary workers within minimum wage not less than Rs 18000 per month, implementation of supreme court decision for “equal wages for equal work”, implement all labour laws etc and pledged to carry forward the struggle in coming days.
Mohammad Maqbool, National Secretary AISGEF and president JKCCTU was leading the protest rally. He said that the present Government has created “havoc” and the entire people especially working class are facing severe crises. He said divisive and disruptive communal policies have posed the biggest challenge to secular fabric and these policies need to be fought tooth and nail to safeguard the hard-earned rights of the working class.
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