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| Crackdown on employees, 25 arrested | | | ARTEEV SHARMA
EARLY TIMES REPORT
JAMMU, Apr 7: Couple of days after invoking Essential Services Maintenance Act (ESMA) on striking employees, the state administration today launched a crackdown on the representatives of the employees and arrested at least 25 leaders and employees including two women under the act.
The employees unions claimed that complete lock out was observed in all the regions of the State as the striking employees were 'least concerned' about the stringent measures taken by the government. "The employees continued to abstain from offices crippling work in all government institutions and Public Sector Undertakings (PSUs) across the State on fourth straight day today," they asserted.
The striking employees have further toughened their stand warning the government that the employees in essential services would also join the strike if the government doesn't stop "harassment" of the employees.
Official sources claimed that para-medical staff in Government Medical College & Hospital Jammu and its allied hospitals resumed its duties and all OPD services were made functional in all government hospitals due to stringent measures taken by the government.
"All OPD services in the hospital were made functional till this afternoon. However, the work in Operation Theatre remained affected on fourth day and we are hopeful that the functioning in Operation Theatre would be restored soon," Dr Romesh Gupta, Medical Superintendent GMCH Jammu informed.
Reports, however, said that even invoking of Essential Services Maintenance Ordinance (ESMO) could not deter employees from striking work.
JS Manhas, Regional Transport Officer (RTO) Jammu said, "Work remained paralyzed due to employees strike as the employees abstained their official duties."
The administration had deployed additional security personnel where the employees were supposed to stage protest and take out rallies.
"The OPD services were being operationalised amid tight security arrangements. Over 300 patients suffering from different ailments were checked by the doctors at OPD in Government Medical College Jammu," official sources informed, adding that a list of paramedics who have been abstaining from offices unauthorisedly, sent to the government for appropriate action.
Sources informed that the administration has also decided to engage the volunteers of Civil Defense and Red Cross Society to help the hospital management so that the patients don't face problems.
Minor scuffle between striking employees and police cops was witnessed in the premises of Government Ranbir Press at Ambphalla when the police arrested some of the protesting employees.
Shouting slogans against the administration and police, the striking employees also disrupted the traffic on main road for about ten minutes. They accused the administration of following "suppressive" tactics to crush the voice of employees. Later, the police released all the arrested employees.
Police also picked up three employees leaders including Marx Gill, president Government Medical Employees Association from Government Gandhi Nagar Hospital while seven protesting employees including two women were arrested from Government Medical College & Hospital Jammu. About five employees were arrested from the Directorate of Health Services, informed sources.
On getting information about some senior EJAC leaders addressing the press conference, a strong contingent of police laid a siege around the Press Club, Jammu and maintained a strict vigil on the activities of the leaders.
Soon after the media briefing, police acted swiftly to round up six of its leaders whereas couple of them managed to give slip and escaped off. The arrested included Yash Pal Sharma, Darshan Magotra, Parshotam Sharma and Rashpal Singh Khalsa.
"Since the invoking of ESMA on April 5 on the protesting employees, it was probably the first incident of use of force applied by the administration to arrest the leaders and employees openly trying to attempt confrontational mode against the government's move of 'no work, no pay' directive," official sources informed.
Earlier, talking to the media persons, the EJAC leaders denied the government's charge of alleged "confrontational approach" as another move initiated by it to fail the employees' unity.
"There is no element of personnel vendetta involved in fight against government as it itself knows about our rights being genuine and worthy. The Government is misguiding the general public by describing our agitation as 'confrontational attitude'," said Yashpal Sharma, senior EJAC leader.
"Besides depriving the employees of their rights Government is using excessive force to curb down their voice which would further deteriorate the situation," he warned and said, "The Cabinet Sub-Committee report had shown its coffers empty for government employees and have even made it clear for being unable to bear the expenses. If Government can afford almost doubling the salaries of its legislators notwithstanding the financial crunch in the state, why it is playing double standards with the employees by not impressing upon the Centre to release money for the employees and also invoking ESMA upon them?" questioned Darshan Magotra, another senior leader while expressing reservations over the government's strategy itself being 'dubious'.
"Government must withdraw ESMA and fulfill our demands," the leaders said. "If the government fails, the strike would be called for indefinite period," they said.
Meanwhile, work in all government institutions remained affected and all offices reported thin attendance.
The functioning in Civil Secretariat complex here also came to standstill and it wore a deserted look after employees continuing to cease work on third day. Only IAS and state administrative service officers along with their personal staff attended offices. Government run educational institutions also reported thin attendance across the region. Work in all schools and other offices remained paralysed for whole day as employees didn't turn up for work despite strict warnings from the state government.
Ration depots of Consumer Affairs and Public Distribution (CA&PD) also remained closed throughout state of Jammu and Kashmir.
Meanwhile, the Government has taken serious note of employees leaving their offices without permission after marking attendance or even while remaining available in the offices not actually attending to their assigned work and responsibilities.
In circular instructions today, since the Government has invoked the Essential Services (Maintenance) Ordinance, Samvat 2001, read with Notification SRO-1 dated 12th January, 2000, and also enforced the principle of 'no work no pay', with effect from 5th April, 2010, any Government employee who leaves his/her office/place of work unauthorizedly after making the attendance or does not discharge his official work responsibility thereafter shall be treated to be absent from duty and the principle of 'no work, no pay' shall apply in his/her case as well.
All Heads of Offices have been asked to ensure strict compliance of these instructions.
The employees have been demanding release of arrears of Sixth pay commission with effect from January 1, 2006, release of pending 5 per cent HRA, issuance of order for regularization of all temporary, adhoc, consolidated, contractual employees and daily rated workers before and after 1994, removal of pay anomalies of various cadres, enhancement of retirement age from 58 to 60 years and conversion of COLA into DA of PSUs. The government needs Rs 4200 crores to release arrears of the employees since January 2006.
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