Excelsior Correspondent
SRINAGAR, June 2: Employees Joint Action Committee (EJAC) president Fayaz Ahmad Shabnum has termed termination of services of Department of Information and Public Relations employees (Stringers) as unfair and violation of Government order.
In a press statement EJAC leader said Govt terminated the services of over 40 employees working in the department since 2015, leaving them high and dry amid COVID-19 crisis. He said the Ministry of Labour and Employment in a March 20, communication had advised all State and UT administrations not to terminate employees in the face of a catastrophic situation due to the outbreak of COVID-19.
“In the backdrop of such a challenging situation, all the employers of Public/Private Establishments may be advised to extend their coordination by not terminating their employees, particularly casual or contractual workers from job or reduce their wages,” the Employment Ministry said in its order.
EJAC president said their termination came despite the advisory from the Union Govt. Many of them were wormking as stringers on temporary basis and even re-employed. He said their termination of service is also a violation of public announcement by Prime Minister.
Shabnam appealed to the Government to reconsider the decision and not to provoke these employees to come on roads against the decision.
In its May 5 order, DIPR disengaged as many as 45 stringers, from Kashmir and Jammu regions who worked as reporters, camerapersons and translators in the Government department for the last five years.