| PDD need-based, casual workers stage protest | | |  Early Times Report
JAMMU, Oct 10: The Power Development Department's need-based and casual workers today continued the protest demonstration in support of their demands, including release of pending wages.
Over 3400 workers, mostly working as linesmen went on a 72-hour strike demanding authorities to release their pending wages.
PDD Need-Based Workers' Union president, Akhil Sharma claimed that 7,500 workers in Kashmir province were adjusted as daily wagers and are being provided monthly wages.
"There are only 3,405 need-based workers in the entire Jammu region. We are not only ignored but we are also being denied wages for last many years," Sharma said. He said most of them are working as linesmen and meter readers.
"We will not tolerate this discrimination and will hold round-the-clock dharna to press for our rights," he said, adding that they have been rendering services in the department for over a decade and are running the PDD infrastructure in whole Jammu region but they are being denied their hard earned money. "This is sheer exploitation of the workers at the hands of the Government. Their families are facing starvation", he added.
He said earlier, they were given wages depending on the progress of work but that has also stopped after 2015 for unknown reasons. "We appeal the State administration to look into our genuine demands sympathetically as our families are suffering. We are unable to pay school fee of our children," Sharma said. "If our demands are not met, we will be forced to go on an indefinite strike," he added. |
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