Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, Sept 20: Sanitation workers of Health Department today staged a protest demonstration demanding implementation of the minimum wages and regularization of their services.
Scores of safai karamcharis of Health Department under the banner of All J&K (PTS) Full Time Safai Karamchari Union assembled near Press Club Jammu and raised slogans in support of their demands which include implementation of the Minimum Wages Act, equal work-equal pay and regularization of their services. The protestors alleged that the department is putting the poor safai karamcharis through problems by delaying the implementation of the Minimum Wage Act.
Speaking on the occasion, Toshi Devi, one of the protesters, said, “She has been serving the department for about 22 years. Initially, he used to get Rs 100 per month, which was increased to Rs 500. It is difficult to survive with such little money. Their demand from the J&K Government is that the Minimum Wages Act should be implemented.”
Another protester, Kahar Singh said, “I have been working for 23 years and my salary is Rs 1000 per month. The salary of some workers is Rs 100 and for some Rs 500 per month. This makes it difficult to sustain the household. He further said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi had given the Safai Karmi honor during the Corona period. The whole country was told about their importance, but the employees in J&K are not even getting the minimum wage.”
The protestors said that their regularization has been pending for the last three decades, but they are yet to be considered for regularization despite several appeals to the authorities. “We have sacrificed a lot and even during COVID pandemic we have been performing our duties day and night with full dedication but unfortunately nobody is paying attention towards us”, they added.
The protestors urged LG Manoj Sinha to implement Minimum Wages Act, provide all the Safai Karamcharis equal pay and salary allowance, and convert part time safai karamcharis into full time under a regulatory policy.
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