Excelsior Correspondent
SRINAGAR, Nov 9: Police today foiled an employees’ protest march in Srinagar and arrested scores of them who were demanding implementation of the agreement of demands signed between them and the Government.
Hundreds of agitating employees under the umbrella of Joint Coordination Committee (JCC)-an amalgam of several employee unions- gathered at Partap Park here in the afternoon, and raised slogans against the Government for “backtracking” with them in implementing the agreement inked between them on September 15, 2011.
The police swung into action and dragged the employee leaders amid the protesting employees and bundled them into Kothibagh Police Station.
“Government should immediately implement the agreement of our demands which had been reached between its representatives and our leadership in September 2011. But due the Government’s ruthless attitude toward the employees, it is delaying its implementation, and hence backtracking from its own stand, which compels us to take to streets time and agian,” said JCC President Abdul Qayoom Wani.
JCC is demanding enhancement in the retirement age from 58 to 60 years, regularisation for the daily rated workers, casual labourers and need based workers engaged after 1994, removal of pay anomaly of clerical cadre (pre-revised Rs 6500-10500) and budgetary support for public sector.
Wani said among these demands, only two of our demands -two installments of arrears and regularization of ad hoc employees have been met by the Government that too after our protracted struggle.
The agitating employees cautioned the Government not to use “oppressive” tactics toward them, which according to them, wont weaken their resolve to press for their demands.
The JCC president said the struggle would be intensified after the employees’ leaders meet in Jammu next week to chart future protest strategy.
JCC had earlier called for protest march today from Food and Supplies Department Srinagar towards the Divisional Commissioner’s office to submit a memorandum. However, the employees said the office was sealed and a heavy contingent of police was deployed outside the office to foil the employees planned protest.
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