Syed Nashir Ali Gillani
Srinagar, Jan 08: Jammu and Kashmir Co-Ordination Committee of Trade Unions (JKCCTU) on Tuesday took out a protest rally here in Srinagar in support of two days national strike of central trade unions and employees federations especially by All India State Government Employees Federation (AISGEF).
The rally started from Pratap Park saw huge presence of employees as well as of workers working in different government departments.
Carrying placards, the employees said that “Modi regime” has created havoc in the country and entire population has been facing severe crisis because of its wrong policies.
The protestors said, “People are pushed to the wall because of the neo-liberal economic and anti-people polices.”
“We support the strike call given by central trade unions and employee federations. Privatization, outsourcing and attack on hard earned rights of social security system like pension and labour laws have brought enough miseries to the employees,” said president JKCCTU, Mohammad Maqbool.
Ahmad said, “73% wealth created during the last four and half years has gone into the pockets of rich people.”
Ahmad while raising concern over the freezing of permanent jobs said that the central government has been doing nothing for the betterment of the common masses.
The protestors also criticized the government’s “anti-employees policies” and highlighted the immediate demands like scraping of PFRA and continuing of statutory pension scheme, effective wage and regularization policy for all temporary workers like casual, contract Aanganwadi, Asha etc within minimum wage not less than Rs 18000 pm, implementation of supreme court decision for “equal wages for equal work”, implement all labour laws etc. They pledged to carry forward the struggle in coming days.
“1.2 billion population of the country has been neglected. No attention has been paid towards the sufferings of poor people. The government has been working for rich, serving their interests,” said senior leader, Mushtaq Ahmad.
He further said, “Divisive and disruptive communal policies” have been posing severe threat to the secular fabric of the country.
“The attacks on secularism need to be fought with zeal. It is the need of the hour to safe guard the hard earned rights of the working people and to uphold the unity by isolating communal forces,” he said.
While asking the working class of the society to intensify the struggle, Ahmad said that governor administration has failed to address the burning issues of employees and workers.
