JK News Today
JAMMU, September 28:
Extending full support to striking PHE workers and daily wagers, Chairman Team Jammu, Zorawar Singh Jamwal today asked Lt Governor, J&K UT, Manoj Sinha to consider the genuine demands striking employees including their regularization at an earliest.
The protest dharna and agitation of the Jal Shakti/PHE Department workers entered the 98th consecutive day here today.
While addressing the demonstrating employees who raised slogan in favour of their demands including regularisation of their services, release of pending wages and enhancement of their wages at least at par with Delhi UT employees, Team Jammu chief, Zorawar Singh Jamwal highlighted that “whenever Prime Minister assured the nation from Red Fort, he made assurances a reality for the countrymen, then why so delay in accepting the genuine demands of striking employees of Jammu Province who have always stood by nationalism and are without wages since past 72 months.”
In his address, Zorawar Singh urged Lt Governor, Manoj Singh to intervene and start the process of regularization of PHE Daily Wager employees without any further delay.
These daily rated and consolidated workers are on strike since June 22, 2022 and demanding regularisation of their services, release of pending wages and enhancement of their wages. The Government failed to resolve the issue despite three rounds of talks through higher authorities in the department.
Today again, a large number of PHE workers from various Divisions and Sub Divisions/ Water stations assembled outside the office of Chief Engineer PHE Jammu, at BC Road in the morning under the banner of PHE Employees United Front and started protest demonstration. They were shouting slogans in support of their demands and also against Administration and other higher authorities in the J&K UT. Many of them were carrying placards in their hands depicting slogans.
The employees representatives including Ravi Hans, Hoshiar Singh, Navdeep Singh, Rajinder Singh Taj, Mohan Lal Sharma and others said that in the past, they had called off their strike merely on assurances several times but nothing happened after that. They were cheated every time. Therefore, they were not prepared to call off strike until an order from the Government is issued.
They resolved to extend strike till any logical conclusion is reached. These daily rated and consolidated workers of the PHE/ Jal Shakti Department are on strike since June 22. The workers are demanding regularization, enhancement of Minimum Wages as per Central norms in J&K UT and release of pending wages of 72 months of PHE workers.
