By IANS,
Srinagar : Nearly 400,000 employees of the Jammu and Kashmir government Wednesday observed a day-long strike demanding extension of the Sixth Pay Commission recommendations in the state.
Work in various state government offices remained paralysed due to the strike call by the employees’ joint co-ordination committee.
Shouting slogans for the extension of the Sixth Pay Commission benefits, hundreds of protesting employees marched through the city centre Lal Chowk here.
Chief Minister Omar Abdullah has already agreed to extend the benefits of the pay commission to the state. But the state government is yet to arrange the financial support needed for the same.
“The payment of arrears would alone amount to Rs.3,080 crore (Rs.30.8 billion) and thereafter, each year the state exchequer would have to bear an additional burden of Rs.1,380 crore (Rs.13.80 billion),” an official of the state finance department said.
The chief minister has approached the central government for financial support to extend the benefits to the government employees.
The striking employees are also demanding the raising of the retirement age from the present 58 years to 60 as is applicable to the central government employees.