Casual workers protest in Banihal, seek regularisation, fair wages

Banihal, Aug 18: Casual workers, including midday meal cooks, ASHA workers, contingent staff, land donors and part-time sweepers, staged a protest in Banihal on Monday, demanding regularisation of their services and implementation of the Minimum Wages Act.

The protest was organised under the banner of All Daily Wagers Jammu and Kashmir Sangharsh Samiti, led by its chairman, Sunny Kant Chib. The protestors have been on strike since August 1 to press their long-pending demands.

The agitating workers said that despite performing all assigned duties, the government has been paying them meagre wages for the past 15–20 years, leaving their families in financial distress.

They urged the administration to fix wages on the lines of Ladakh, Tamil Nadu, and other states of the country so that they can be freed from the measly and unjust daily wage of just Rs. 30 per day.

Chairman, all daily wagers JK Sangarash Simitti Sunny Kant Chib said they are still waiting for the promises of Omar Abdullah, in which he assured regulations of all daily wagers in his first cabinet meeting, but so far no concrete steps have been taken for the welfare and betterment of hard-working daily-rate workers. He threatened an indefinite strike if the minimum wage act was not implemented soon.