Employees Joint Action Committee (EJAC) on Wednesday demanded release pending wages of daily wagers ahead of upcoming Eid-ul-Azha.
Addressing press conference here, EJAC President Fayaz Ahmad Shabnum said that wages of all daily-rated works and daily wagers working in different government departments have not been released for several months.
“Some of them are unpaid for one year and some for past six months. These daily wagers are facing difficult time to sustain livelihood. This is not only injustice to them but to their families also,” he said.
He said although the government has been promising of releasing wages for some time now but till no such decision has been taken so far.
Shabnum said the government was not taking issue of daily-rated seriously and was making them suffer.
He said the EJAC stands with the demand of daily-rated works for their regularization and release of pending wages.
“EJAC stands with them shoulder-to-shoulder. We urge the government to release their pending wages ahead of Eid,” he said.
Shabnum said in most of the cases daily-rated workers were the sole bread earners of their families.
“Thus, non-release of the wages has also affected hundreds of the families,” he said.
The EJAC urged the government especially Lieutenant Governor, Advisors and Chief Secretary to look into the matter and help these daily wagers out of the situation so that they and their families will have something to cheer on this Eid.
Shabnum said majority of the daily wagers working in the government departments for more than 25 years are yet to be regularized.
“They are the frontline warriors in every calamity that has struck J&K and are working on the same parameters and capabilities as that of regular employees,” he said.
He said despite their work, these appointees were paid meager wages with which they were not able to make their both ends meet.
“Though previous governments have made various agreements with the EJAC leadership regarding regularization of daily wagers but till date no progress has been achieved on the issue,” he said.
Shabnum said if the government fails to take some immediate and concrete steps regarding regularization of the daily wagers and other types of casual labourers, the EJAC will be compelled to issue a protest program and will come out on streets.