Rehman for release of arrested Leighton workers, consideration of their demands

Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, Nov 8:  Strongly condemning Police crackdown on the striking workers engaged in Chenani-Nashri tunnel project, the newly formed Jammu and Kashmir People’s United Front has demanded immediate release of detained workers and the union leaders besides conceding their demands.
“The Government should mediate negotiations between the striking workers and the management of Leighton company for reinstatement of terminated workers, implementation of labour laws and acceptance of other demands of the labour union,” said Sheikh Abdul Rehman, State president of Samajwadi Party, one of the constituents of People’s United Front, while talking to media persons, here today.
He stressed that the strike was not a sudden one and the concerned workers’ union had already given due notice for the same while the State Government and its Labour Department were also apprised a number of time about the demands for the last more than a year.
Mr Rehman alleged that the Leighton company was exploiting the workers by forcing them to work for more than 12 hours daily without any compensation for the overtime. The State Government on the other hand, he added, has been patronizing the company instead of intervening to prevail upon the Leighton for sorting out the burning issues of termination, equal wages, overtime etc.
I D Khajuria, president of IDP, another constituent of the People’s United Front, appealed all the political parties and trade unions to rise to the occasion against denial of democratic rights to workers of Chenani-Nashri tunnel project. He also appealed the management of Leighton to carry along the workers instead of taking them for a ride. “The management should listen to the workers, talk to them, engage them, allow them to protest and accommodate their long pending demands,” he added.
Alleging that the State Government was taking undue advantage of special Constitutional status given to J&K, both the leaders reiterated that all the arrested workers and the union leaders should be released immediately besides negotiations between the Leighton management and the workers for ending the prevailing stalemate.

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