Excelsior Correspondent
SRINAGAR, Mar 25: The Jammu and Kashmir Casual and Daily Wagers Forum (JKCDF) today demanded the immediate implementation of the Minimum Wages Act until the recently formed government committee submits its report on the regularization of their services and the process officially begins.
Addressing the media, JKCDF leader Sajjad Parray criticized the government’s handling of workers’ issues, particularly the use of force against Public Health Engineering (PHE) workers in Jammu. “Pressure and force, as witnessed against PHE workers in Jammu, will not deter us from raising our concerns. We voted for the resolution of employees’ issues, but instead of addressing them, workers are being threatened,” Sajjad said.
He noted that protests for daily wagers’ rights are not new. “This struggle has been ongoing since 2002 when the BJP-led coalition was in power. In 2009, during Omar Abdullah’s coalition government, similar protests were held under the banner of the Joint Consultative Committee, leading to an agreement with the government at the time,” he said.
Sajjad also recalled past demonstrations under different governments. “During the PDP-BJP coalition, the forum led a massive protest during the GST session, resulting in many protesters being detained in sub-jails and even resorting to a hunger strike in Srinagar,” he said.
He further mentioned that after the abrogation of Article 370, during the Governor’s rule, workers staged large-scale demonstrations and were invited to Raj Bhawan for talks. “An agreement was made to address our demands after the District Development Council (DDC) elections,” he said.
However, despite political assurances, no concrete action has been taken. “In the last assembly, every party included this issue in their manifesto. During election campaigns, leaders made promises and acknowledged it as a humanitarian concern. They assured us that salaries would be increased after government formation, but nothing has happened,” he said.
The forum welcomed the government’s decision to form a committee on regularization but insisted that the Minimum Wages Act must be implemented until the process begins. “Some are trying to politicize the issue, labeling us as BJP-sponsored or calling us different names. This is not about politics; it is about survival. When MLAs say they cannot run their households on Rs 1 lakh, how can daily wagers survive on Rs 4,000 to RS 8,000?” Sajjad questioned.
He warned of major protests if the Minimum Wages Act is not implemented soon. “We are ready for dialogue, but if the government remains stubborn and fails to act, we will launch a massive agitation after Eid, and the consequences will be on the authorities,” he said.
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