Jammu, Nov 18: Agitated over the government’s indifference to their demands, the striking employees of the State Road Transport Corporation Wednesday said they would soon launch a “unique protest.”
 The SRTC Workers Union, spearheading the agitation, said the protest slated for this week had been deferred following “positive overtures” from the government. “However, the government developed cold feet and did not move forward in the negotiations forcing us to go for the unique protest,” the Union president, Shakeel Ahmad Kuchay, told Greater Kashmir.
  “The last meeting was positive but inconclusive. We postponed the protest anticipating the government will start another round but it did not happen,” he said, adding, “Now, we are left with no other option but to go for the protest which the government may have never heard of and we will announce it anytime.”
 He said the “unique protest” would be staged simultaneously in Jammu and Srinagar, “It will be a surprise for all and we don’t want to give out the details beforehand because we fear the government will thwart it.”
 Kuchay said the government had held out an assurance that an apex committee would be set up for one time solution of their problems “but nothing has been done on ground so far. The committee was to be headed by the Chief Minister, Omar Abdullah.”
 Kuchay said more than 4,000 employees of the corporation wanted one time settlement of their demands, which include release of their pending salaries with the benefits of sixth Pay Commission recommendations. “The corporation was established to provide better transport facilities to the people. So the government itself should be responsible for its profits and losses, why should we suffer,” Kuchay said.
 For the past 85 days, he said, the employees were on roads to press their demands. “We are ready for any consequences as we had already submitted our VRS en-mass to the government,” he said.

Lastupdate on : Wed, 18 Nov 2009 21:30:00 Makkah time
Lastupdate on : Wed, 18 Nov 2009 18:30:00 GMT
Lastupdate on : Thu, 19 Nov 2009 00:00:00 IST