PHE employees’ hunger strike enters 22nd day

Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, Feb 25: The chain hunger strike, which was started by PHE employees on 4 of this month in support of their demands, entered 22nd day today.
Today workers of PHE Ground Water Drilling Division Jammu including Tarseem Chand, Haqiqat Singh, Sardari Lal, Sinda Kumar, Ramesh Lal, Madan Lal and Bansi Lal were sitting on hunger strike.
Pertinent to mention here that all sort of daily rated workers of PHE including ITI Diploma holders are sitting on chain hunger strike since February 4 under the umbrella of PHE Workers Welfare Association.
They are demanding their regularization after completion of five years of service, clearance of 22 months backlog wages, disbursement of wages before 5th of every month regularly, framing of concrete recruitment policy for PHE Department, holding of DPC meeting for the promotion of employees and creation of higher scale posts of all cadres to remove the stagnation.
Addressing the protesting employees here at PHE Complex, BC Road, provincial president of the Association, Bakshi Singh, said there was already a lot of resentment among the striking employees and the Minister for PHE, Irrigation and Flood Control, Sham Lal Sharma, has added fuel to the fire by not providing budgetary provision for the regularization of both ITI and non-ITI daily rated workers.
He further announced that a massive rally of PHE employees will be held on March 3, 2014 in the premises of Chief Engineer, PHE Department, Jammu, to discuss the next course of action while the ongoing chain hunger strike will remain continue till redressal of all pending demands of the employees.