Excelsior Correspondent
SRINAGAR, Oct 3: Undeterred by the threats and arrests of their top leadership by the authorities, over four lakh State Government employees are all geared up to begin their two-day pen down strike on Friday and Assembly gherao on October 5 to press the Government to implement the agreement signed last year.
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’s six-member Cabinet Sub Committee failed to meet their “desired” demands in the agreement.
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.
Police launched a crackdown on JCC leadership this week and detained their top leadership to “weaken the resolve of the employees” after Government asked the agitating employees to “shun the path of confrontation and come for talks.”
Congress leader and Minister for Medical Education Taj Mohi-ud-Din had also said the Government could “crush” the employee’s agitation if they resort to their agitation path again.
“The Government has yet not closed the door for negotiations and is willing to hold discussion on all issues confronting the employees,” Taj has said.
JCC sources told Excelsior that at least 20 JCC leaders have been shifted to Central Jail from Kothi Bagh police station, Srinagar, who were detained on Wednesday during a torch march towards Chief Minister Omar Abdullah’s Gupkar residence which was foiled by police.
However, JCC and Employees Joint Action Committee (EJAC), president, Abdul Qayoom Wani, has been kept in Kothi Bagh police lock up.
Among other senior JCC leaders who have been locked up in Central jail include Nusrat Beigh, Peer Nisar, Sajjad Parray, Farooq Sofi, Syed Iqbal, Nasir A Wani, Isaaq Ganaie, Mian Imtiyaz and Manzoor Pampori.
Meanwhile, JCC convener and chairman Civil Secretariat Non-Gazetted Employees Union (CSNGEU) Rauf Ahmad Bhat addressed a press conference here, at an unknown place to evade detention, today showed signs of “sulking” by appealing the Government to hold talks with employees.
“I appeal to the Chief Minister Omar Abdullah and Finance Minister Abdul Rahim Rather should accept at least one of our demands among the three to end the stalemate with us. The demand of the situation is that the closed doors should be re-opened immediately. We are open to negotiations,” Bhat said.
Bhat also said the JCC, which represents 4.5 lakh employees were simply demanding time bound implementation of the agreement which obviously, the Government has agreed upon.
Bhat’s “negotiation” statement has created cracks within the JCC leadership, as a top JCC leader told Excelsior they were not on the same page over holding talks with the Government.
“Whatever Rouf Ahmad Bhat has said is his personal stand. We disagree with him for sulking before the Government as we will not beg for negotiations. We want the Government to implement, in letter and spirit, the agreement signed between us,” he said, wishing not be named to avoid rift within the JCC at this “critical juncture of our struggle”.
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