Many Govt offices deserted on 2nd day of strike

JCC’s ‘Sectt Gherao’ foiled, over 50 arrested
Fayaz Bukhari/
Gopal Sharma
SRINAGAR/ JAMMU, May 25:
Over fifty (50) State Government employees, mostly their leaders, courted arrest outside the Civil Secretariat, Srinagar this afternoon while the work in the Government and the Public Sector Undertakings offices remained paralysed across the State on the second consecutive day of the employees’ strike today.
At least fifty State Government employees leaders appeared outside the main entrance of the Srinagar’s Civil Secretariat and courted arrest at around 3 p.m. These employees while courting arrest raised slogans against the Government for not honouring the agreement which they reached with the JCC leadership last year.
Earlier, a group of employee leaders assembled outside Khalsa School near Exhibition Ground, another group at CAPD in Shaheed Gunj while the third group assembled in Batamaloo before proceeding towards Civil Secretariat.
The employee leaders on reaching outside Civil Secretariat were bundled in police vehicles by already waiting police men who were deployed in full strength and taken to various Police Stations of the city. Around 38 employee leaders have been taken to Karan Nagar Police Station and around 8 are lodged in Kothi Bagh Police Station.
Those who are lodged in Karan Nagar Police Station include Syeda Ladakhi, Purshotam Sharma, Balwant Singh Jamwal, Shabir Ahmad, Javed Ahmad Akhoon, Ghulam Mohammad Hamdard, Ghulam Mohammad Bandro and Naseer Ahmad Wani.
Those lodged in Kothi Bagh Police Station include Khurshid Ahmad Dewani, Abdul Rashid and Mir Waseem. The lone woman leader, Sayeda Ladakhi was also not released and shifted to Rambagh police station late last evening and only one lady cop was deployed with her.
It may be mentioned here that over a dozen of employee leaders were arrested in mid night raids across Kashmir valley previous night. Those arrested included Abdul Qayoom Wani, Mohammad Khurshid Aalam, Mohidin Muntazir, Khursheed Ahmad Bhat, Farooq Trali, Khalid Mehmood, Abdul Qayoom Beigh, Haji Bashir Ahmad Bhat, Abdul Qayoom Beigh.
In the meantime as the Employees continued to stay away from work for the second day today government offices remained deserted. However, work in the Civil Secretariat was going on normally.
All Government offices, including the Consumer Affairs and Public Distribution (CA&PD) ration depots and headquarter also remained closed.
The Government educational institutions also wore a deserted look as students and teaching staff stayed away. However, private schools across the State were functioning normally.
The employees are demanding regularisation of daily wagers, contractualsn and adhoc employees, removal of pay anomaly and increase in the retirement age from present 58 years to 60 years.
The senior JCC leader and president of EJAC (R), Ram Kumar Sharma, told Exceslior that repressive tactics of the State Government is aggravating the situation.  He said that by these tactics Government is forcing employees to intensify their agitation.
Kumar said that the backing out of the agreement which they reached with the employees is total failure on part of government. He said that government’s repressive measures against the employees and dishonouring of the agreement puts a question mark on the credibility of the government.
Kumar urged the Chief Minister Omar Abdullah to release the arrested employee leaders and resolve the issue through dialogue. He said by adopting repressive measures government is forcing employees to intensify their struggle.
Kumar said that so far the employees’ strike is symbolic and if it is intensified it will lead to hardships for the people. He alleged that Government is forcing them to take extreme step.
Kumar said that thousands of employees are taking part in tomorrow’s march to Rajbhawan where memorandum will be presented to Governor N N Vohra. He said that the march is peaceful and urged the Government not to use force.
Senior JCC leader, Purshotam Sharma, who is lodged in Police Station Karan Nagar, told Excelsior that employees are making preparations for tomorrow’s march to Rajbhawan in a big way. He said that after march, the next plan of action will be chalked out.
The ITI employee’s Union leader, Mohammad Abbas, said repressive tactics of the government shows non-seriousness of the government in resolving the issue. He said that treating of employees as criminals and putting them behind the bars is most unfortunate.
The normal work in many Government and Public Sector Undertakings (PSU) offices remained affected on the second day of ‘Kam Chhor Hartal’ of the employees across the Jammu region today while the Joint Consultative Committee of the employees leadership will announce next course of action tomorrow.
In Jammu region also the impact of strike was impressive. In many office like Agriculture, Horticulture, Animal Husbandry, Command Area Development, RDD, Forest, PDD, PHE, I&FC, Stationary and Printing, Health, Sales Tax & Excise, PWD, CAPD, Directorate of School Education, ITI, JDA, JKPCC, Geology and Mining and Udhyog Bhawan, the strike was almost complete. The employees were found sitting on dharnas at several offices and staging protest.
A team of senior trade union leaders and JCC/ EJAC members, including Amrik Singh, Jaswant Singh, Babu Hussain Malik, Arun Moza, Uttam Chand Sharma, Joginder Paul, Ch Mohd Aslam, Madan Sangral, Darshan Sharma and others visited various offices in the city and monitored the strike programme. They also addressed employees’ dharnas in some of the offices. The trade unionists appealed the employees to remain united for their common cause.
The three day strike is being observed in the entire State on the call given by JCC leadership including Abdul Qayoom Wani, Khursheed Alam, Ram Kumar Sharma, Mohd Gafoor Dar, Sayeda Ladhakhi, Rafiq Khaniyari, Kulwant Singh, Balwan Singh Jamwal, Parshotam Sharma, Ganesh Khajuria, Amrik Singh, Babu Hussain Malik, Balwinder Singh, Nazir Ahmed, Farooq Tarali, Arun Moza and others.
All the sections of State Government, Public Sector, temporary and permanent employees observed nearly complete strike. The employees held demonstrations, staged dharnas at district and tehsil headquarters to lodge their protest against the Government. The general public had to suffer in view of employees strike in many offices. The work in hospital wards of GMC, Bakshinagar, SMGS Shalamar, Gandhinagar, Sarwal and other district hospitals, operation theatres, OPDs and Labs etc was affected. The emergency units however, functioned normally.
While addressing gatherings of employees in some offices, the senior EJAC/JCC members strongly condemned the attitude of the Government. They said that due to non-serious approach of the Government, the employees have been forced to go on strike. The Government has failed to honour its commitment. Nothing on ground has been witnessed regarding agreed demands made with the employees representatives on 19-2-2009, 14-5-2010 and recently on September 15, 2011. They said several representations were given to the Government from time to time after lapse of time given, but the Government seemed to be in no mood to respond to the employees’ demands.
JCC leaders further alleged that Government has done nothing to formulate the policy for regularization of casual, seasonal and daily rated workers. The committees constituted by the Government for enhancement of retirement of age from 58 to 60 years and for removal of Govt anomalies in different cadre, have not done its job within the framework of stipulated time. The PSU workers are being deprived of the Sixth Pay Commission benefits, arrears and DA.
Reports from Samba, Kathua, Udhampur, Reasi, Rajouri, Poonch, Ramban, Doda, Kishtwar districts and other tehsil headquarters said that strike was almost complete and the employees staged protest dharnas in their offices. The emergency units of the hospitals, operational staff of Urban Local Bodies, PHE and PDD remained out of the purview of the strike.
Daily Wagers Joint Action Forum also held protest demonstration in front of the tehsil offices separately in support of strike call given by JCC leadership. Mohd Altaf Manhas was leading the protest demonstration here.
Meanwhile, JCC leaders Ram Kumar and Gafoor Dar strongly condemned the police lathi-charge and arrest of employees in Srinagar. They said that government was trying to gag the voice of peacefully demonstrating employees who are fighting for their rights. They said Government instead of holding dialogue adding fuel to the fire and adopting repressive measures. They said the Government stood exposed and it has lost its credibility in the eyes of the employees and general public. They alleged that arrested leaders or employee were not released and even the lone woman leader Sayeda Ladakhi who was arrested today, was detained at Rambagh Police Station late last evening and only single lady cop was deployed with her. They claimed that protest march towards Rajbhawan will be held and a memorandum will be submitted to the Governor seeking his intervention.

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