Jammu and Kashmir employees to gherao secretariate

The Employees Joint Action Committee, fighting for the full implementation of the recommendations of the 6th Pay Commission and other demands, on Saturday said that its plan to gherao the civil secretariat on Tuesday was unchanged, and warned the government of intensifying its agitation if promises made to the unions were not fulfilled.

EJAC leaders said that demands the government had assured of meeting along with the Pay Panel report were still pending with authorities and that no action had been taken even though over a year had passed since the agreement.

They said that there would be no compromise on the unions’ plans for Tuesday, and that the civil secretariat would be sealed off for two hours to send a warning that employees would shake the government to its foundations if the agreement between the two sides was not kept in letter and spirit.

The EJAC said that the government had taken Rs 200 crore from the J and K Bank to pay the 6th Pay Commission arrears to IAS and IPS officers, but was making the hollow plea of lack of funds in case of lower employees.

“The government’s dithering on the release of arrears has put poor employees in dire economic straits in times of high inflation,” the EJAC said.

The unions alleged that the police was intimidating employees at the behest of the government by arresting scores of officials across Kashmir on charges of stone-pelting.

Source : Kashmir Observer