Srinagar, Jan 1: Fissures in Employees Joint Consultative Committee surfaced Friday as several trade unions broke up from the conglomerate to form the JK Employees Joint Action Committee.
 The announcement came at a joint press conference of several trade unions here wherein they dissociated from JCC, which they dubbed an ‘insignificant body’ accusing its leaders of sabotaging the employees’ cause.
 “JCC is a non-existent forum as employees’ bodies from Jammu have already dissociated themselves from it and many more from Kashmir are taking back their support. We have, therefore, decided to revive the erstwhile Employees Joint Action Committee and form a joint association- JKEJAC- along with our Jammu counterparts,” said State President Coordination Committee of Trade Unions, Muhammad Maqbool Ganai.
 “We have decided not to participate in any program of JCC. Instead we will hold protest demonstrations on January 12 in Srinagar in support of the strike call given by EJAC Jammu,” he announced.
 The trade union leaders said JCC leaders had made a ‘sell-out’ of the employees’ demands by entering into an agreement with the government in August last year which was ‘incomplete.’
 “No one has seen that agreement and we had opposed it. JCC is now reduced to a conglomerate of mere two groups EJAC (Q) and EJAC (K) with its leaders serving the government like political leaders,” Maqbool said.
 He said the decision about the formation of JKEJAC was taken after employees in Jammu formed Jammu EJAC.
 “Around 100 trade union leaders held a meeting here wherein we decided to join hands with Jammu EJAC. JKEJAC will have a general and executive council,” he said.
 JCC was formed by the association of all employees and trade unions early last year to spearhead the agitation over sixth pay commission recommendations and other demands. Around four lakh employees from across the state have been following the programs of JCC until its Jammu chapter dissociated recently.
 The divide became evident when employees in Jammu observed strike while their Srinagar counterparts entered into an agreement with the government, calling off the strike.
 “The recent strike call by JCC didn’t have the support of the KAS Officers Association and Secretariat Employees Union. The call was given without taking all members into confidence which has prompted us to look for an alternative representative body of employees,” said President Medical Employees Federation, Khursheed Ahmad, in the press conference.
 Talking to Greater Kashmir on phone from Jammu, former JCC leader and President JK National Trade Union Front, Muhammad Gaffar Dar, said JCC had lost its relevance. “At the moment all trade unions and employees associations from Jammu and all left-out associations and unions of Kashmir are part of JKEJAC,” he added.
 When contacted, JCC member and President EJAC (Q), Abdul Qayoom Wani, said JKEJAC leaders of Kashmir had no representative character. About Jammu leaders, he said, “There was a misunderstanding between us and Jammu last time. But we are in negotiations with them and still majority of employees from Jammu are part of JCC.”

Lastupdate on : Fri, 1 Jan 2010 21:30:00 Makkah time
Lastupdate on : Fri, 1 Jan 2010 18:30:00 GMT
Lastupdate on : Sat, 2 Jan 2010 00:00:00 IST