Arts Emporium employees stage protest, demand payment of salaries

5 Dariya News

Srinagar 20-Jul-2018

Kashmir Government Arts Emporium employees Friday staged a protest here complaining that they had not been paid their salaries from past 5 months.The protesting employees threatened to initiate an indefinite strike if their demands were not fulfilled within the next 72 hours.Talking to CNS, an employee said, “It has become difficult for us to pay school fee of our children and run kitchen expenses. We have been borrowing money from friends and relatives.”The protesting employees said that senior officials never faced such problems of delay in salaries. They stated that most of those who had not been paid salaries were lower rung workers.“Hefty sums of money are spent on foreign trips and besides cozy offices are being constructed, ignoring the plight of common employees,” they said and accused incumbent Director of wasting Corporation money for his personal comfort.Managing Director Kashmir Government Arts Emporium, Ishtiyaq Drabu told CNS that Emporium showroom remained closed for an year after 2014 floods while government provided money only for the renovation of the building and not for the losses Corporation incurred. “These employees have to work hard to earn for themselves. They will get nothing by staging these ‘senseless’ protests,” Drabu said and added that money he spent on his foreign trip came from Government of India. (CNS)