Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU/SRINAGAR, Dec 14: The work in many Government offices and Public Sector Undertakings (PSUs) was badly affected with the strike of the employees across the State while employees held protest demonstrations at their respective offices in response to the two-day strike call given by the Joint Consultative Committee (JCC) leadership.
On first day of the two-day strike programme today, the employees observed ‘Kaam Choor Hartal’. In many Government offices and PSUs the attendance was thin while work in many Government schools was also affected as teachers stayed away from classes. The impact of strike was impressive at Directorate of School Education, JDA, Agriculture complex, RDD, JMC, ITI complex, Sheep and Animal Husbandry, Forest, Excise/ Commercial Taxes, Udhyog Bhawan, R&B etc.
Several senior leaders of the JCC including Abdul Qayoom Wani, Khursheed Alam, Mohd Gafoor Dar, Ganesh Khajuria, Syeda Ladakhi, Kulwant Singh, Jaswant Singh, Amrik Singh, Nazir Ahmed Molvi and others visited various Government offices and joined the protest demonstrations being held at offices in the winter capital city here. They addressed a large gathering of employees and strongly criticized the Government for not addressing the pending demands of the employees.
Mr Wani said that Government has not honoured its agreement despite the fact that much time was given to it for consideration of the demands. Even after several reminders, it failed to act. The employees are being forced to adopt confrontational path. He said that demands related to removal of pay anomalies, enhancement of retirement age from 58 to 60 years, regularization of adhoc, daily wagers and consolidated workers, budgetary support to PSUs and 6th Pay Commission benefit to them, have remained unsettled.
Mr Khursheed said that employees will continue their struggle till their demands are addressed. He said a meeting of the JCC leadership was held here this afternoon in which strategy was chalked out regarding tomorrow’s protest programme towards Raj Bhawan. He said all the employees would assemble at M A Stadium near Jewel Chowk at 10.30 am and stage protest demonstration there. The employees’ protest rally would march towards Raj Bhawan at around 11.30 am tomorrow. If the Government remains adamant, the JCC leadership would then meet on Sunday and decide on next phase of agitation.
At Agriculture complex despite rain and bad weather the employees held strong protest demonstration under the leadership of senior JCC members Jaswant Singh and Amrik Singh. The employees shouted slogans in support of their demands. The routine official work remained paralysed at the Directorate due to strike. Similar was the response in adjoining RDD, Animal Husbandry and Command Area development complex Talab Tillo here. The work however, in Govt Medical College Jammu and its associated hospitals here remained unaffected. The essential services had already been kept out of the purview of the strike by the JCC.
Reports from Kathua, Samba, Rajouri, Poonch, Doda, Udhampur and other parts revealed that strike was partial while its impact was seen much at Kathua district headquarters. In Govt schools, the impact of strike was also much in the region. The hospital functioning was not hit with the strike.
In Kashmir, normal work was also affected in the Government offices on the first day of the strike. Attendance in most of the Government offices was very thin as the majority of the employees preferred to remain away from their work. The attendance was also low due to inclement weather.
JCC, an amalgam of various employees associations/ unions had announced strike call to pressurize Government to concede their pending demands. The body has been holding series of protests, strikes and rallies in order to impress upon the Government to address their issues.
The reports of similar strike have also been received from Kargil and Leh districts.
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