PHE workers take to streets with children

Tribune News Service

Jammu, October 15

Seeking regular jobs, hundreds of daily earners of the public health engineering (PHE) department, along with their families, blocked the BC road on Monday to draw the attention of the state towards the plight of nearly 30,000 workers in Jammu and Kashmir.

Under the banner of the All J&K PHE ITI-Trained and CP Workers’ Association, hundreds of workers, children and other family members protested outside the department office. They said the administration should take up their issue on humanitarian grounds.

“We have come here to protest the violation of our fundamental rights and right to life. For the last three years, our parents, who work as daily earners, are not getting salaries,” said Muskan, a 15-year-old daughter of a daily earner.

The association has threatened to march towards Srinagar but after the intervention of the senior officials, it deferred the decision. Due to the protest, the movement of traffic on the busy bus stand road was also affected.

Implementation of SRO-520 dealing with regularisation of services and timely release of wages are the two demands being raised by the workers.

“Senior officials of the department told us that our issue will be taken up in the next meeting with the state administration in Srinagar. We will wait for its outcome,” said Tanvir Hussain, association president.