Union demands wages for 791 power dept casual workers
QUOTE: “The families of the affected workers are suffering due to the exploitative policy pursued by governments for decades. We are not even able to provide basic amenities to our children” Gurmail Singh, casual worker
Tribune News Service
Jammu, February 3
Despite reorganising the power development department (PDD), 791 casual and need-based workers in the new corporation continue to remain without wages.
A majority of them work as linemen and meter readers, who are the backbone of the erstwhile PDD. They have appealed to the state administration headed by Lt Governor GC Murmu to end the years of discrimination with the workers of the Jammu region.
The Casual Labourers, PDL, TDL Labourers Union said 791 workers remained without wages as the officials concerned were yet to clear their files. It, however, thanked the UT administration for clearing the pending wages of nearly 2,500 workers after the formation of the now Power Corporation.
“Casual workers of the Jammu region are facing discrimination while those in the Kashmir valley have been regularised. We hope the UT administration will end this discrimination,” said Akhil Sharma, union president.
Protesters claimed that a majority of the workers had been exploited for years by the successive government’s which had only given them hollow promises of starting the regularisation process and regular payment of wages.
“The families of the affected workers are suffering due to the exploitative policy pursued by governments for decades. We are not even able to provide basic amenities to our children,” said Gurmail Singh, a casual worker.
The workers’ union has also demanded speeding up the job regularisation process so that those working in the power department for the past over two decades would get regular jobs and all benefits enjoyed by the regular employees.
The regularisation of jobs is a long-pending demand of the daily rated workers and casual workers. The process was first started in 2009 during the National Conference-Congress government when the erstwhile state Cabinet had approved a mechanism for job regularisation.
