JCC calls off employees’ strike
Excelsior Correspondent
Srinagar/ JAMMU, July 8: The Joint Consultative Committee (JCC) of the State government employees today called off their strike after government assurance that their demands will be fulfilled by September 30.
The employees called off their four -day strike that was begining on Monday. The development comes after the meeting of JCC leaders and the empowered committee led by Davinder Singh Rana, political advisor to Chief Minister, Omar Abdullah.
Addressing a press conference in Srinagar this afternoon, JCC member, Mohammad Khurshid Alam said that the strike has been called off after the assurance from the empowered committee that all the demands of the government employees would be met by September 30. JCC leaders Abdul Qayoom Wani and Mohammad Gafoor Dar were also present in the press conference.
“The government has conceded all our demands including the demand for enhancement of retirement age. The government has asked for more time on the implementation of this demand since the decision is a political one. The final decision would be taken by the political executives after wider consultations with the various stake holders of the civil society,” said Alam.
Alam said that chief secretary Madhav Lal who was heading the committee formed to look into the demand for enhancement of retirement age informed the meeting that they gave its report to the government suggesting that the retirement age should be extended to 60 years from 58 years. He said JCC does not believe in confrontation with the government adding that the strike has been called off.
“Today’s meeting was held under the directions of the chief minister and we are personally thankful to him for his intervention. All the employees should attend to their duties as there would be no strike now. If the government wants some more time there is no logic in hardening our stand,” said Alam.
Alam said the empowered committee made it clear to them that the government is serious in conceding their demands. He while quoting the members of empowered committee said that September 30, 2012 would be final deadline vis-à-vis the demands of the government employees.
Sharing his views, Mohammad Gafoor Dar said that the government has devised a roadmap for regularization of daily wagers appointed after 1994. He said the decision in this respect would also be taken by September 30, 2012. He added that the empowered committee members told them that the regularization of pre-1994 left over daily wagers has been taken up on fast track basis.
Referring to the issue of pay anomalies, Alam said that this would be removed and the decision on the issue would also be taken by September 30, 2012. He said that Commissioner Secretary Finance would present his report to the government on the issue of correcting the grade anomaly of the clerical cadre who work in the grade of Rs. 6,500.
Besides Davinder Singh Rana the Government was represented by Chief Secretary Madhav Lal, Principal Secretary-Finance, Iqbal Khanday, Principal Secretary-Home, B. R Sharma, Principal Secretary-PDD, Sudhanshu Pandey and Secretary-GAD, Sheikh Mushtaq Ahmad. The JCC was represented by Mohammad Khursheed Alam, Abdul Qayoom Wani, Mohammad Gafoor Dar, Ganesh Khajuria, S. Kulwant Singh and Syed Ghulam Rasool Geelani.
Meanwhile, an official spokesman said that under the directions of Chief Minister, Omar Abdullah the top brass of the administration led by Political Adviser to the Chief Minister, Mr Rana, met the employees leadership here and finalized the road map for addressing the issues raised by the employees amicably and in a time bound manner.
The official spokesman said that on the issue of increase in the retirement age from 58 years to 60 years, it was indicated that the issue requires wider consultations. He said the government wants more discussions on the issue with various stake holders before taking any final decision in the matter. It was, accordingly, agreed that a decision shall be taken in the matter by September 30, 2012.
“Regarding regularization of casual/temporary labourers engaged, it was informed that owing to the existence of various categories of casual/temporary labourers, the issue requires to be verified and authenticated before it is submitted to the Cabinet Sub Committee for a policy decision,” said the official spokesman.
The spokesman said that a notice would be issued to the departments so that complete information from the employees is received and then it is verified as well as authenticated within a period of three months. He said the details would be submitted to the Cabinet Sub-Committee for a policy decision adding that regularization of the leftover pre-1994 daily wagers has already been fast-tracked.
The spokesman said that the Pay Anomaly Committee has been revived and it shall submit its report about the Clerical cadre and the pre-revised scale of Rs 6500-10500 in the near future for an appropriate decision by the Government by September 30, 2012.
The spokesman said that it was decided that appropriate instructions will be issued to all PSUs for their Board of Directors to look into the demands of their employees including that of the arrears on account of the 6th Pay Commission, keeping in view their respective resource position.
Meanwhile, an emergent meeting of the representatives of Kashmir and Jammu region of Government Employees Joint Action Committee (EJAC-R) held at Jammu and Srinagar this evening, condemned the decision of two factions of EJAC led by Khursheed Alam and Qayoom Wani and NTUF led by Gafoor Dar for withdrawing its four- day strike programme from July 9.
The senior members of the EJAC including Ram Kumar Sharma, Balwan Singh Jamwal, Rafiq Ahmed Khaniyari, Parshotam Sharma, Babu Hussain Malik, Sayeda Ladakhi, Yash Pal Sharma, Abdul Rashid and others alleged that these a few members of ‘partial JCC’ have betrayed over 4.5 lakh employees of the State and compromised with the ongoing movement and employees’ cause. They withdrew the strike without any achievement and settlement of demands of the employees. They said earlier on three occasions on February 19, 2009, then on May 14, 2010 and also on Sept 15, 2011, the Government made written agreement but it failed to honour and adopted dilly delaying tactics.
Another large faction of SEJAC led by Sushil Sudan, Subash Verma, Suresh Sharma, Swarn Singh, Bashir Mir, Shabir Langoo, Ishtiaq Beg and others in a press statement here strongly reacted over the meeting of some JCC members with the government representatives held today in Srinagar and said that it was like putting ‘old wine in new bottle’.
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