Mir Farhat
SRINAGAR, Sept 27: The Joint Consultative Committee (JCC), of the State Government employees today called for 5-day strike after their meeting with the Government failed this afternoon.
The Joint Consultative Committee (JCC), an amalgam of several employee unions, today called for protests on October 1, 2 and 3, and complete offices’ lock out on October 4 and 5 to press for the implementation of the agreement of the demands signed between the JCC leaders and the Government in June last year.
“We expected the stalemate with the Government will end today in the second meeting with the Cabinet Sub-Committee, but they betrayed us. The Government wanted more time from us. But in view of the Code of Conduct which is expected any time in the month of December, we didn’t agree,” said JCC President, Abdul Qayoom Wani.
JCC leaders held the second, 2-hour meeting in the Civil Secretariat with the Cabinet Sub-Committee after the Government had demanded a week’s time from them in their first meet on September 17.
Wani said the JCC leadership has no option left to press the Government, but to revive the strike programme.
“The employees’ leaders across the State will hold protests at all district headquarters on October 1. Non Gazetted Secretariat employees will protest within the Secretariat premises who will be led JCC convener Rouf Ahmad Bhat,” President JCC Abdul Qayoom Wani said.
Wani said the employees’ leaders will take a “torch march” from Municipal Park to Chief Minister’s Gupkar residence on October 2 after Maghrib prayers. While Secretariat employees will protest inside its premises, Mohammad Gafoor Dar will lead a “torch march” to Divisional Commissioner’s office in Jammu, Syeeda Ladakhi and Mohammad Mujtaba will lead the employees in Leh and Kargil districts respectively.
The JCC, which spearheads the ongoing agitation, has been demanding, among other things, extension of retirement age from 58 to 60, regularization of daily wagers, removal of pay anomalies in the clerical cadre, besides budgetary support for Public Sector Undertakings.
The JCC president said on October 3, all State employees would march toward Assembly building.
Wani said that on these agitating three days, only JCC leaders will protest, but the other employees will carry on their work in the offices and educational institutes.Employees on examination duty are exempted from the strike programme, he said.
Wani said the JCC leadership has decided to observe a complete lock out strike on October 4 and 5 as the entire employee workforce will remain off the work.
The JCC leaders threatened of launching an intense strike if “good sense” didn’t prevail upon the Government about the demands.
The Cabinet Sub-Committee was headed by Finance Minister Abdul Rahim Rather, and included other members: Minister for Rural Development and Panchayati Raj, Ali Mohammad Sagar, Minister for Medical Education and Sports, Taj Mohi-ud-Din, Minister for PHE, Irrigation and Flood Control, Sham Lal Sharma, Minister for Planning and Development, Ajay Sadhotra and Minister for Housing Nawang Rigzin Jora.
JCC leaders included Abdul Qayoom Wani, Abdul Rouf Bhat, Abdul Gafoor Dar and Haji Mohammad Ashraf Bhat, who were present in the talks.
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