Jammu, Feb 21: Police Monday foiled the march of the state government and semi-government employees to civil secretariat here and detained over 60 protesting employees. However, they were released in the evening.
Today’s protest call was given by the employees’ conglomerate Joint Consultative Committee (JCC) in support of its demand for release of sixth pay commission arrears, enhancement of retirement age from 58 to 60 and some other demands.
Hundreds of employees under the banner of JCC and led by EJAC (Q) president Abdul Qayoom Wani assembled at the Government Hari Singh Higher Secondary School ground in the morning.
Following the address by several union leaders, the employees tried to take out a protest march towards the civil secretariat.
However, the demonstrators were stopped by a strong contingent of police leading to a minor scuffle. Union leaders, however, alleged that several protestors were injured in the police action.
 “Over 60 employees were detained by the police including Abdul Qayoom Wani and lodged at District Police Lines Jammu,” a senior police official said, adding they, however, were released in the evening.
Earlier, while addressing the gathering, JCC leaders warned the coalition government to desist from the “anti-employees policies and shun the path of confrontation”.
“The government has back-tracked from the promises and agreements made with the JCC leaders from time-to-time,” one of their leaders Qayoom Wani alleged, threatening to intensify agitation in case the demands were not accepted at the earliest.
He said some of the senior cabinet ministers have been misleading the chief minister Omar Abdullah regarding the demands of the employees.
“The JCC leadership has been trying for amicable settlement of the pending demands of employees because we (employees) believe in negotiations in a peaceful atmosphere. Instead the government has always tried to suppress the employees’ movement by force,” another speaker asserted.
The union has now decided to hold another meeting on February 25 to chalk out future strategy of the agitation.

ALAM LEADS PROTESTS IN SRINAGAR
Meanwhile, employees on Monday staged protests in Srinagar also on the call of JCC to press for their demands.
Raising slogans, hundreds of employees led by EJAC (K) president Khursheed Alam staged protest march from the directorate the Consumer Affairs and Public Distribution to the Divisional Commissioner’s office, where they sat on dharna for more than three hours. The employees later submitted a memorandum comprising their demands to Divisional Commissioner Kashmir.
Talking to Greater Kashmir, Khursheed Alam said, that employees would continue to fight for their genuine demands.
“The roadmap for release of 50 percent arrears in five instalments to be credited to the GP fund with lock-in period is a crude joke. This is unacceptable to us and the decision was taken unilaterally by the government,” he said.
The state cabinet had, October last, announced the roadmap for payment of 50 percent arrears of the 6th pay commission, but its was rejected by the employee bodies.
According to the government order, for class IV employees, the portion of arrears would be released during the next four years with an equal instalment of 12.5 percent per year. For class II and III employees, the arrears would be released in five instalments in five years, and for higher grade employees the instalment period for releasing the arrears has been fixed six years.
“The arrears will be deposited in the GP fund account of the employees and the lock-in period will vary from three to five years,” the order said.
For class IV, III, II and I employees the lock in period is three years, four years, five years respectively.
In case of pensioners, they have been grouped into different categories as per their age which would be the parameter for releasing their arrears.
Alam said, that despite the cabinet order, regularization of contractual, daily wager and adhoc employees was not done till date.
“We are also demanding enhancement of retirement age from 58 to 60 years at par with central government employees and payment of 10 percent dearness allowance payable from July 2010,” he added.
He further said that JCC would meet on February 25 in Jammu to chalk out the future course of action.
Employees of both factions of EJAC and pensioners participated in the protest programme.

Lastupdate on : Mon, 21 Feb 2011 21:30:00 Makkah time
Lastupdate on : Mon, 21 Feb 2011 18:30:00 GMT
Lastupdate on : Tue, 22 Feb 2011 00:00:00 IST