Employees to ‘gherao’ Sectt on May 25
Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, May 16: Brushing aside the remarks of Chief Minister, Omar Abdullah that Government has resolved employees issues and their strike was unjustified, senior JCC leader Ram Kumar Sharma today said that Chief Minister’s claim was not correct as three major points of the agreement reached between JCC leadership and Government representatives on September 15, 2011 have not been honoured yet.
Addressing a press conference here today the JCC leader accused bureaucracy for providing wrong information to the Chief Minister. He said the agreement meeting was held on the directions of the Chief Minister in which his political advisor Devinder Singh Rana, Chief Secretary, his own Principal Secretary, Commisioner/ Secretary GAD etc were present. It appears that his own advisors and bureaucrats were not feeding him correct information. He said the Chief Minister should not depend on his bureaucrats only, rather he should have correct information from his own agencies and other sources. He said no action has been taken so far regarding issues of pay anomalies, daily wagers and enhancement of retirement age besides redressal of PSU workers concerning 6th Pay Commission arrears.
Referring to demands, JCC leader said enough time was given to the Government but it has turned deaf ear towards employees’ demands. He said after two day successful strike programme, the JCC leadership has now decided to go on three day strike on May 24, 25 and 26 in the entire State. On May 25, thousands of employees from all the districts will assemble in Srinagar and conduct ‘gherao’ of the Civil Secretariat. On May 26, they will carry out protest march towards Raj Bhawan and submit a memorandum to the Governor N N Vohra. The operation staff of PHE, PDD, MCs, JMC/SMC, staff on exam duty, emergencies of Hospitals have been exempted from the purview of strike.
The JCC members demanded that Government should frame policy for regularization of casual, seasonal and daily rated workers who have completed 7 years in service after 1994, enhance retirement age from 58 to 60 years, remove pay anomalies of different cadre, settle of demands of PSU workers including benefit of 6th Pay Commission and release of DA in their favour and withdrawal of GP Fund conditions imposed on employees. They alleged that Government was trying to gag the voice of the employees and resorting to lathicharge and use of brutal forced on them.
Ram Kumar said on one hand the Government is claiming that they don’t have funds, on the other they enhanced the salaries of ministers/ legislators, giving more than 100 % hike. Crores are being spent on their residences/ bungalows, luxuries, telephone bills, foreign and domestic tours and travels. Employees’ pension has been stopped but the MLA/ MLC/ ministers are still enjoying their facility. In other states, the tenure of Assembly is just 4 years but in J&K, those in power are in no mood to reduce it from 6 to 4 years. Lakhs of rupees of ministers, legislators bureaucrats are pending as power arrears. He alleged that those at the helm of affairs should sweep before their own doors. He condemned the State Government for its anti-people and anti-employee policies.
Senior members, Ganesh Khajuria, Balwan Singh Jamwal, Kulwant Singh, Amrik Singh, Mohd Muneer, Parshotam Sharma Madan Sangral, Joginder Pal and others were also present.
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