Excelsior Correspondent
Srinagar, Sept 26: Workers from the Public Health Engineering (PHE) Department gathered today to stage a protest, highlighting their pressing demands, particularly the release of pending wages that have been withheld for the past two months.
Organized under the banner of the Kashmir PHE Joint Employees Association, several protesters, comprising daily wage labourers, ITI workers, casual employees, landowners, and seasonal workers, converged outside the office of the Chief Engineer, PHE, located in Rajbagh.
Their demonstration resonated with slogans advocating for their rights and decrying the administration’s alleged indifference to their plight.
Sajjad Parray, the head of the association, expressed their grievances, stating, “We are here to press for our demands because, for the last two months, our wages have not been released, causing immense suffering to us and our families.”
Parray emphasized that despite the government issuing routine orders labelling some workers as “illegally appointed,” they have been serving for over two decades, dedicating their lives to the department.
He called attention to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s commitment to regularize workers and provide them with much-needed relief.
He stressed the need for a concrete policy from the government, which includes workers regularization, timely payment of pending salaries, and the implementation of the Minimum Wages Act.
Referring to the 2018 recommendations of the 7th Pay Commission, Parray pointed out that it was proposed to raise the wages of daily wage labourers from Rs 18,000 to Rs 26,000.
However, he contrasted this with a parliamentary bill that significantly increased the salary of the Governor from Rs 1.10 lakh to Rs 3.50 lakh.
In stark contrast, the committee formed by the local administration in Jammu and Kashmir increased the daily wagers’ wages by a mere Rs 11, he said.
The protesters underscored the importance of promptly fulfilling the demands that the administration has already accepted. They called for the immediate release of their pending wages and the implementation of fair and equitable policies to address their long-standing grievances.
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