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| Employees strike cripples office functioning across valley | | | Bashir Assad
Srinagar, May24: Strike by Employees of the Jammu and Kashmir Government across the state paralyzed work in government offices today. Joint Consultative Committee (JCC), an amalgam of various employees associations, has called for a 4-day strike against what they call government backtracking from its promise to enhance retirement age from 58 to 60 yrs. Work in most government offices across Kashmir valley was crippled by the employees' three-day strike that started here today. Attendance of employees in offices other than the Civil Secretariat was very thin and in some offices like Deputy Commissioners only private sections were functioning as part of emergency services. "Work in all other government offices and schools came to a halt because of the employees' strike. It had no effect on the functioning of the Civil Secretariat in Srinagar," said a senior official of the state administration.Though the officials claimed that colleges and universities across the state were functioning normally, however, reports reaching here suggest that class room functioning came to complete halt as teachers did not turn to classes. Non-teaching staff in colleges was on complete strike, even administrative office in SMHS state hospital observes strike on the first day of JCC's 4-day strike call.
The strike, however, had no effect on civil secretariat as the secretariat employees association was not part of the strike.
Reports reaching here from Leh suggest that there was no effect on the working of the government offices in Leh town of Ladakh region. Emergency services like hospitals, electricity and drinking water supply have been exempted by the state employees from their three-day strike.
The agitating employees are demanding enhancement in their retirement age from the existing 58 to 60 years, regularisation of daily wagers, ad hoc and contractual appointees, and removal of pay anomalies.
Police arrested many leaders of the striking employees to prevent them from holding rallies and protests in the state.
Employees leaders, including Khursheed Alam, Mohiuddin Muntizer, Abdul Qayoom Wani and Shabir Langu, have been taken into preventive custody, police said. "They have been taken into preventive custody to maintain law and order," a senior police officer said here.
The three-day agitation includes total strike today, one-hour sit-in outside the Civil Secretariat in Srinagar on Friday, and a rally towards the state Raj Bhavan Saturday. It merits a mention here that despite repeated efforts government could not break the stalemate as employees bodies refused to call off the strike.
"If the State Government fails to implement the agreement inked with the employees on September 15, 2011, JCC will intensify the agitation and government will be forced to take a decision on our demands," Muhammad Khursheed Alam told Early Times."After May 26, the JCC will come up with a revolutionary program and it will be then too late for the government to stop us. The situation will go out of control and nobody except the state government itself will be responsible for it" Alam said. JCC, representing over 4.5 lakh state employees, said if "the demands" were not met, they will remove Omar Abdullah gove-rnment."This dilly-dally tactics will not work. If people can run the government with just 12 percent votes, why can't employees with 34 percent vote share dislodge it," Alam had warned on May 9.
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