Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU/SRINAGAR, Aug 23: The pen-down strike by the Government employees of various departments and Public Sector Undertakings affected the normal work in many offices across the State today.
The employees struck work and held demonstrations and also staged dharnas at their respective offices in protest against the Government’s failure to honour its agreement reached with the JCC leadership, related to employees’ pending demands. While the public in general suffered due to strike of the employees in many departments, the operational staff of PHE/PDD and Health and Medical Education Department was exempted. Even the Emergency units of all the hospitals functioned normally.
The strike call had been given by J&K Employees Joint Consultative Committee (JCC) comprising of three constituents-J&K National Trade Union Front led by Mohd Gafoor Dar, J&K Civil Secretariat Non-Gazetted Employees Coordination Committee headed by Rouf Ahmed Bhat and Employees Joint Action Committee led by Abdul Qayoom Wani. Today was the second day of the two-day protest/ strike programme.
The work in Government offices across Kashmir region was paralysed today as employees observed complete strike to press for the implementation of the agreement reached between Government and their leadership. Though many employees reported to their offices but they stayed away from work and continued their protest at the gates and office premises.
The employees leaders termed the pen down strike as “big success’’ in entire Kashmir. They said that impact of the strike was impressive in all the offices including Civil Secretariat. “The employees across the state have once again have shown their commitment to the just cause. We are thankful to them for giving support to their leadership and believing in them,” a JCC leader said.
The employees in Jammu, held strong demonstrations and struck work. The impact of strike was witnessed effective in Directorate of Agriculture, Horticulture, Rural Development Depart-ment, Social Welfare, Command Area Development, Social Forestry, Irrigation complex, Excise & Sales Tax, Nirman Bhawan, Udyog Bhawan, JDA, ITI-Technical Education, JKPCC, Sheep Husbandry, PHE, Sports Departments etc.
Several senior trade unionists including Mr Dar, Nazir Ahmed, Amrik Singh, Ganesh Khajuria, Karan Singh, Nazir Ahmed, Muneer Ahmed, Rajinder Kumar, Darshan Singh, Rohit George and others addressed the gathering of employees and warned the Government not to test the patience of over four and half lakh employees and workers who have already suffered a lot due to anti-employee policy of the Government and declared that under the collective leadership of the JCC the working class of the State will intensify decisive battle for final solution of demands. They said that reports of protest and pen-down strike have also been received from various districts of the region. However, in some tehsils and districts the impact was negligible.
They claimed that the Government has failed to fulfill the pending demands like enhancement of retirement age from 58 to 60 years at par with Central Government employees, framing of regularization policy for all daily rated, casual labour, need based, ITI trained and DRWs who have been engaged after 1994, removal of pay anomalies of clerical cadre and budgetary support to all PSUs and other benefits under the Sixth Pay Commission. Mr Dar further claimed that JCC leadership will decide next course of action in a meeting to be held on August 26 at Srinagar.
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