VRS given SRTC workers stage protest demonstration

VRS given SRTC employees staging protest dharna at Exhibition Ground near Press Club in Jammu on Monday. —Excelsior/ Rakesh
VRS given SRTC employees staging protest dharna at Exhibition Ground near Press Club in Jammu on Monday. —Excelsior/ Rakesh

Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, June 27:  The voluntarily retired workers  of  J&K State Road Transport Corporation (SRTC)  held protest demonstration and dharna against the management of the Corporation and State Government at Exhibition Ground, near Press Club  here today.
The VRS accorded workers of the Road Transport Corporation led by Dev Raj Bali, president All J&K SRTC Voluntarily Retired Employees Association,  assembled at Exhibition Ground here in the morning and started  protest demonstration. They were shouting slogans in support of their demands and also against the SRTC management and State Finance Department.
The Union leader while speaking on the occasion strongly criticized the SRTC authorities for not paying arrears of the VRS  given SRTC employees. He alleged that nearly 700 VRS given workers of the Corporation are feeling cheated  as they have been deprived of their arrears by the management of the Corporation.  He said that the retired workers struggling for their hard earned money for the last over five years.
The speakers alleged that merely 50%  arrears have been given to the workers while arrears of  the 6th Pay Commission and COLA installments have been denied  to them by the SRTC management.  They pointed out that during last five years of struggle, 12 retired employees have died as they could not afford even the Medical treatment.
They demanded 6th Pay Commission arrears from January 1, 2006 and   COLA arrears since 1999 besides pension benefits  and 8.33 % bonus on the basic pay.
Prominent among those who joined protest included Balwinder Singh, Surinder Singh, J D Singh, Kulbir Singh,  Dwarka Nath, Gulshan Singh, BB Sharma and others.