Daily wagers demand regularisation, pending dues

Demanding regularisation, implementation of minimum wages and release of pending payments, daily wagers marched towards Chief Minister Omar Abdullah’s residence here on Thursday, prompting police to stop them and detain their leader.

All Daily Wagers Jammu Kashmir Sangarsh Samiti, a conglomeration of daily wagers, daily-rated employees, and ASHA (Accredited Social Health Activists) workers, has been demanding regularisation, the release of pending payments, and the implementation of minimum wages.

Led by Samiti’s chairman Sunny Kant Chib, scores of daily wagers and casual workers from several departments, including women, took to the streets to protest against the government for failing to address their long-pending “genuine demands”.

Raising slogans against the chief minister and the government, they marched towards the CM’s residence on the Residency Road but were stopped by a large police contingent at Shaheedi Chowk.

The police detained Chib, prompting women workers to sit on a dharna at the chowk, seeking an audience with the chief minister to address their demands.

“We have been demanding regularisation of hundreds of daily wagers, release of wages of a large number of casual workers and implementation of minimum wages, but the government has done nothing,” Chib told reporters before his detention.

He said that injustice has been done to hundreds of daily wagers and casual workers for years. “We wanted to meet the CM to urge him to address this concern,” he said. — PTI