Day 6: Contractual staff’s hunger strike continues

Tribune News Service

Jammu, February 19

Demanding regularisation, the chain hunger strike launched by contractual lecturers today entered its sixth day. Hundreds of educated youth employed by the Education Department since 2003 have not been regularised to date.

The contractual lecturers have been demanding regularisation as per the Civil Services Special Provision Act-2010, a policy framed for the regularisation of all ad hoc, contractual and consolidated employees after seven years of service.

Vice-president of the forum Zabir Hussain Shah said lecturers at the 10+2 level were rendering their services in the education sector, but the government had followed totally apathetic policies.

Meanwhile, the vice-president of the forum from Udhampur district, Seema Rajput also demanded that their salaries be enhanced as per the latest Apex Court ruling for ‘Equal Work Equal Wages’. She also resented that the government was paying only Rs 7,000 per month since 2003 and the government was paying no attention towards them. She disclosed that the government was only paying attention for the enhancements of salaries.

One of the senior contractual lecturers Vinod Kumar has been sitting on the hunger strike since February 14, but the government has paid no heed towards their grievances.