M A I N   N E W S

J&K to get tough with strikers
From M.L. Kak
Tribune News Service

JAMMU, Jan 19 — The state government has hardened its stand with regard to about 3.50 lakh employees who have been on strike for the past one month to press for release of two DA instalments and arrears of the Fifth Pay Commission.

The matter was discussed by the state Cabinet at its meeting here today and it was decided that the government would strictly enforce the provisions of the Essential Services Maintenance Act. The Cabinet refused to give any further concession to the employees.

The Cabinet directed the employees to resume their duties, failing which cases would be started against them. It was decided to prosecute those employees who created a law and order problem so that their services could be terminated.

Informed sources said that the Cabinet discussed the issue of holding summary trials against those employees who engineered the strike and created a major law and order problem. The Cabinet was of the view that since the state resources did not warrant further concessions to the employees it had no other alternative but to initiate strict measures.

The Cabinet also felt that the government should be ready to go in for fresh recruitments if the employees did not resume their work after January 25. Those convicted in the summary trials would lose their jobs and those hauled by the police to lock-ups for more than 48 hours would be placed under suspension.

Meanwhile, the employees staged massive demonstrations at various places in the state. Hundreds of employees staged dharnas in front of their office premises and shouted anti-government slogans. At several places they defied Section 144 of the CrPC. Several hundred leaders of the Joint Action Committee have gone underground to escape arrest. During the past four days, more than 500 employees had been taken into custody and most of them had been released later.

The government has made it clear that its doors are open for negotiations, but the employees should not expect more than what the government offered a week ago by way of 50 per cent DA in cash and crediting the remaining 50 per cent and the wage arrears in their provident fund.

By another decision, the Cabinet approved transfers of civil secretariat employees to different departments in the field. The Cabinet felt that employees working in the secretariat had an easy workload and decided to make inter-departmental and inter-provincial services applicable to the secretariat staff also.

Experts said the decision was to hit back at the secretariat employees who had played a key role in giving teeth to the one-month-long strike by the employees.