By IRNA,
Srinagar, India : Nearly half a million government employees in Kashmir, who want their retirement age to be raised and payment of arrears accruing to them due to a recently announced major pay hike, struck work for the second day Friday.
Government offices throughout the state remained crippled for the second consecutive day Friday with union leaders threatening to “shake the government to its foundations” if it did no adhere to its agreement.
The day was marked by protests and rallies in all the regions of the state, while the police used force to disperse agitators near the seat of power in Srinagar.
State government employees insist the government adhere to the agreement of August 18 last year to fulfill all their demands, particularly the release of arrears accruing due to the recommendations of the Sixth Pay Commission which brings the state employees at par with those of the central government.
Other demands include raising of their retirement age from 58 to 60, conversion of cost of living allowance (COLA) into dearness allowance (DA), regularisation of temporary and ad hoc employees working in government offices and public sector undertakings.
Employee Union leader Abdul Qayoom Wani threatened to launch an agitation which, he said, would shake the government to its foundations if it failed to address their demands without delay.
Commenting on a recent statement by the finance minister, Abdul Rahim Rathar, Wani said that if his claim that no funds were available was correct, the government should investigate how much it spent on the comfort and luxury of bureaucrats and ministers.
“Actually the government is buying time and misleading employees, which is totally against the agreement of August 18,” he said.
“The government had asked us for time, and we gave not days or weeks, but months, but the government’s insincerity has dismayed employees and forced them on the path of agitation,” he said.
“The employees have an effective voice, and no minister will be allowed to interfere in their demands,” he said.