PHE daily wagers protest, demand release of pending wages

Srinagar, Oct 3: Scores of daily wagers from the PHE department held a protest in support of their demands.

The daily wagers assembled at Press Colony on Tuesday demanding the release of pending wages and implementation of the Minimum Wages Act.

The aggrieved were raising slogans in support of their demands and urged the government to address these demands without delay.

Sajad Ahmad, president PHE Daily Wagers Forum, said that for years they have to hit roads to remind the government about theses pending demands. He said by keeping these long pending demands unaddressed, the government is forcing them to hit roads and take extreme measures.

“We do not want to hit roads, but these pending demands are taking a toll on us. Our two months of salary is pending, which has pushed us towards starvation. We are unable to fulfill the basic needs of our families due to these issues,” Sajad said.

He said that as the upcoming national elections are next year and senior leaderswill visit the valley, they want to remind them about their promises.

“Post August 2019, the central government had promised that daily wagers and other ground-level employees would be uplifted and empowered. We were assured minimum wages act and regularisation, but those promises were never kept,” he added.

The aggrieved daily wagers said that they are unable to make both ends meet due to meager wages, and it is made worse by pending wages.

“Our two months salary is pending, and we are forced to come on roads. What are we supposed to feed our family? Our financial condition is deteriorating with each passing day. We are unable to pay for food, medical bills, education, and other expenses of our families. We want regular salaries and implementation of minimum wages act,” said a protesting daily wager.

The protesters said that due to the issue, thousands of families of daily wagers, PHE ITI Workers, and PHE landowners are suffering. They appealed government to address their issues so that they do not have to hit roads.