Excelsior Correspondent
RAJOURI, Mar 25: A large number of Kalakote coal mine workers, under the banner of Bharatiya Coal Khan Mazdoor Union, Moghla (Kalakote) organised a strong rally, drawing Government’s attention towards their long pending issues, at Moghla in Kalakote Sub Division of district Rajouri today.
With red flags in their hands, the workers raised slogans urging the Government to fulfill their long pending demands and also release pending wages of the workers who are facing starvation. The protesting Union workers were also demanding merger of Jammu and Kashmir Minerals Ltd (JKML) with the Geology and Mining Department and their regularization.
While addressing the large rally, president, Centre of Indian Trade Unions (CITU), J&K and MLA Mohd Yousuf Tarigami said that the neo-liberal economic policies implemented since 1990s by the Government have broken the back of the working class and down-trodden people across the country. The result of these policies have led the hundreds of thousands of farmers/peasants to committing suicide as they are not in a position to liquidate their loans raised from financial institutions/money lenders, he added.
Mr Tarigami said that the Government must come to the rescue of the affected and vulnerable sections of the society and announce some pro-people programmes to provide some relief and succor to them. Curtailing subsidies on the pretext of managing fiscal deficit seems absurd as the same dispensation provides incentives to the Corporate and business houses in the form of tax foregone/concessions. Working inside coal mines is both health hazardous and risky, as such, the Government and the management must come forward to fulfill their long pending legitimate and genuine demands which include regularization of casual labourers working for more than 15 years and to bring workers under the ambit of skilled category for payment of wages notified under Minimum Wages Act by the State Government.
Om Prakash, CITU general secretary demanded that JK Minerals Ltd (JKML) should be merged with Geology and Mining Department as the former lacks adequate mining engineers, qualified mining man-power and machinery as a result of which the organization has not been running/functioning properly. He also exhorted the workers to fight unitedly to get their legitimate and genuine problems resolved. Demanding that DA due @ 6% from July, 2015 and another 6% from January, 2016 be released in favour of the employees, he urged the Government to release the pending COLA arrears in favour of the employees of the organization without any further delay.
Rajesh Gupta, Working president of Bhartiya Coal Khan Mazdoor Union, Ramesh Chander, president, Santoo Prashad, Secretary and Mohd Gafoor, vice president also addressed the rally.
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