Jammu, Apr 30: About 4.5 lakh government employees across Jammu and Kashmir will observe a statewide strike on May 8 and 9 to press for the implementation of agreement reached with the government last September. The employees have also threatened to gherao the Civil Secretariat in Srinagar on May 9.
Demanding, among other things, enhancement in retirement age from 58 to 60 years and regularization of contractual employees, the Joint Consultative Committee (JCC) of employees’ associations  today held a day-long meeting in Jammu attended by representatives of various unions  to chalk out the strategy for the two-day strike.
“On March 31, the government had agreed to fulfill our demands but it failed to keep its word. So, over 4.5 lakh employees will observe strike on May 8 and gherao Civil Secretariat in Srinagar on May 9 to press for their demands,” JCC spokesperson Ram Kumar Sharma told reporters.
The strike call given by JCC has been supported by several associations, federations and fora of government departments, PSUs and corporations. JCC is demanding enhancement of retirement age from 58 to 60 years, payment of pending 6th pay commission arrears, regularization of daily wagers and contractual employees among others.
Sharma said that they were forced to adopt the path of agitation as the state government has ‘failed’ to implement the agreements/commitments made with the employees on February 19, 2012; May 14, 2010 and remaining agreed demands on September 15, 2011. Even day-long token strike on April 17, 2012 has fallen on deaf ears leaving no option for us other than to intensify the struggle, he added.
Sharma said that JCC has decided and called upon the employees to observe two-day state wide token strike on May 8-9 and hold massive protest rallies against the ‘anti-employees and anti-workers’ policies of the government.
He expressed serious concern over, what he said, breach of assurances and promises made by the government. He said the government has trampled the spirit of all such agreements and stubbornly adopted delaying tactics to side-track the issues by backing out and forcing the employees to adopt a path of agitation.
He further said that employees from various districts will go to Srinagar to gherao the Civil Secretariat on May 9 if the government continues with its ‘indifferent’ attitude towards genuine demands of the employees. However, the operational staff of PHE, PDD, hospitals, municipality and university exams shall be exempted from the strike, Sharma said.
JCC spokesperson informed that in Jammu the employees will assemble at Exhibition Ground in front of Press Club Jammu on May 8 to hold rally and on May 9 the employees will hold rally and protest demonstrations in their respective offices.
Those present on the occasion included Balwan Singh Jamwal, Babu Hussain Malik, Proshotam Sharma, Bharat Bhushan, Abdul Rashid, Madan Sangral, Sewa Ram Rathore, Kuldeep Singh, Feroz Ali Khan, Yash Pal, Aslam Choudhary, Gurnam Singh Slathia, Sudershan Sharma, Tara Chand, Naresh Chowdhary and Subash Chander.

Lastupdate on : Mon, 30 Apr 2012 21:30:00 Makkah time
Lastupdate on : Mon, 30 Apr 2012 18:30:00 GMT
Lastupdate on : Tue, 1 May 2012 00:00:00 IST