Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, Aug 12: National Mazdoor Conference (NMC) today held an impressive and well attended workers rally today, wherein its president Subash Shastri urged upon the Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to announce the pending installment of seven percent Dearness Allowance (DA) in favour of both Central and State Government Employees at an earliest.
He said that the salaried class was facing a lot of economic hardship due to high inflation and price rise and the release of DA would provide relief to them, adding that the delay would not only put burden on Central Government exchequer but also would leave the employees as also the pensioners in the lurch.
Emphasizing on the formulation of the National Pay Policy, Shastri demanded setting up of a new Pay Commission which would cover both Central and State Government employees.
Pleading the cause of the employees, Shastri also demanded the merger of 50 % DA of State Government employees into their basic pay and pension as was recommended by the 4th Pay Commission in its report accepted by the Government in 1986.
The other demands highlighted during the rally included enhancement of wages of daily wage workers, regularization of services of daily wagers, grant of disturbed areas allowance on the pattern of north eastern states to all Government employees, implementation of all central labour laws and declaring Srinagar and Jammu as B-1 cities.
Among others who spoke on the occasion were Rajan Babu Khajuria, Sunil Kochhar, Sham Lal Sharma, Rakesh Padha, Ashok Khajuria, Anil Singh Slathia, Bhopinder Singh, Mohan Lal Sharma, Barkat Ram and others.