Video | Police foils PHE casual worker protest in Srinagar, detain several members

Srinagar, Jun 10 : Over a dozen Public Health Engineering (PHE) casual labourers were detained after police foiled their sit-in protest in this summer capital on Wednesday, demanding regularization of services and release of pending wages.

Scores of PHE casual workers led by J&K Casual and Daily Wagers Forum President Sajad Ahmad Parray assembled in Pratap Park opposite Press Enclave in the city on Wednesday to protest against the move by the government to fill 10,000 Class IV vacancies through SSB without regularizing their services.

The protestors were also demanding release of their wages which are pending from last several months.

However, security forces deployed in the area swung into action and tried to disperse the demonstrators. As the protestors didn’t back down, police arrested dozens of demonstrators, including Parray.

All the detainees have been lodged in the nearby police station.

Mr Parray, before being arrested, said that the government has ignored the 60,000 temporary employees already working in different departments by referring 10,000 class IV posts to SSB. “These temporary employees, who includes Daily wagers, casual labourers, CP workers, ITI casual labours, land donors EV’S, Seasonal labours and all temporary workers, have been working since 1994 with utmost honesty and dedication,” he said.

He said even today, when the whole world is battling a deadly disease like COVID-19, these temporary employees are engaged in public service risking their lives. “The temporary employees have been waiting for regularization from the last 22 years and today, when the time has come to become permanent employee, the government has snatch our source of earning bread and butter by referring these posts to SSB,” he said.

He said such order will not be tolerated under any circumstances. “It is important to clarify that we are not against the recruitment process, but the right to regularization belongs to the existing 60,000 temporary employees in the first instance,” he added.

He said in case the government ignores their legitimate demands, they can go to any lengths to get their legitimate right. “We want to remind the government that the Prime Minister had said that temporary employees in Jammu and Kashmir will be given their due right under the minimum wages act,” he said.

He said it has been ten months since then, but nothing has been done. “We want to make it clear that the issue of regularization is a matter of life and death for us and our families,” he said.

Therefore, he said the forum requests the government to withdraw the Govt Order No 559-JK (GAD) of 2020 dated 14-05-2020 and issue orders for regularization in favour of temporary employees.
UNI ABS