STATE TIMES NEWS
JAMMU: The striking Public Health Engineering (PHE) Department daily wagers on Friday took out a rally demanding regularisation of their services.
Hundreds of workers participated in the demonstration and sought immediate resolution of their long-pending demands, including regular release of salaries and better working conditions.
The protesters, under the banner of All JandK PHE, ITI Trained and CP Workers Association, raised slogans against the administration and alleged that they had been betrayed by the successive governments.
“The agitating workers said despite working with dedication they were being deprived of their dues,” protesters said.
“We have been working in the department for the last two decades, but we have not been regularised till now,” they said adding that the rally is our warning to the government that we are determined to start a statewide agitation if justice is denied to us.
Association President, Tanveer Hussain claimed that there were 26,000 casual labourers working in the department and all the governments had made false promises to them.
They alleged that different committees and sub-committees constituted by the successive government had been used to “befool” the workers.
“The government is forcing workers to take the path of agitation as there is no effort by the administration to resolve our problem,” he added.
“if our demands are still not fulfilled in the ensuing budget session then the massive protest will be held by the employees,” Tanveer warned.
Vice President Deepak Gupta, General Secretary Subash Chander, Bhanu Sambyal, Manjeet Singh, Jivan Singh, Sanjive Thakur, Tilak Raj, Pawan, Pardeep Sharma, Vijay Kumar, Nizar Ahmed, Subash, Sohan Choudhary and Kuldeep Choudhary were also present.
