SRINAGAR: Hundreds of casual and daily wagers on Tuesday protested outside their respective offices across the Kashmir valley, demanding regularisation of their services and implementation of the Minimum Wages Act.
Holding placards and banners in favour of their demands, the protestors, under the banner of J&K Casual and Daily Wagers Forum, assembled outside their respective government offices in the valley and warned to intensify the agitation, if their demands were not fulfilled.
Shouting slogans, they demanded that the promise made by Prime Minister Narendra Modi should be fulfilled immediately.
J&K Casual and Daily Wagers Forum President Sajad Ahmad Parray said the government has ignored the 60,000 temporary employees already working in different departments by referring the 10,000 class IV posts to SSB.
”These temporary employees, who include Daily wagers, casual labourers, CP workers, ITI casual labourers, land donors, EV’S, Seasonal labourers and all temporary workers, have been working since 1994 with utmost honesty and dedication,” he added.
He said even today, when the whole world was battling a deadly disease like COVID-19, these temporary employees were engaged in public service, risking their lives.
”The temporary employees have been waiting for regularisation from the last 22 years and today, when the time has come to become permanent employee, the government has snatched our source of earning by referring these posts to SSB,” he added.
Mr Parray said that such an order will not be tolerated under any circumstances.
”It is important to clarify that we are not against the recruitment process, but the right to regularisation belongs to the existing 60,000 temporary employees in the first instance,” he added.
He said in case the government ignores their legitimate demands, they can go to any length to get their legitimate right.
”We want to remind the government that the Prime Minister had said that temporary employees in Jammu and Kashmir will be given their due right under the Minimum Wages Act,” he added.
”We want to make it clear that the issue of regularisation is a matter of life and death for us and our families,” he said.
Therefore, the forum requests the government to withdraw the Govt Order No 559-JK (GAD) of 2020 dated May 14, 2020 and issue orders for regularisation in favour of temporary employees, Mr Parray demanded.
He said if their demands were not fulfilled, the casual labourers of all government departments would hit the streets and fight for their rights. (AGENCIES)
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