The Casual labourers need base workers and daily wagers of Public Health Engineering (PHE) department held a candlelight vigil protest demonstration on the second consecutive day, today against the department for failing to release their monthly honorarium from past 18 months. Scores of the Casual labourers need base workers and daily wagers gathered at Press Enclave in Srinagar and pressed for their demands ahead of Eid-ul-Fitr.The protesters holding placards which read “ Hamari Tankhwa Waguzar Karo,” “Kashmir PHE funds ki funds ko Jammu divert karna Manzoor Nahi,” “Na Insafhi Nahi Chale gi, Nahi Chalegi,” demanded their daily wages stopped by the department.“We are not getting our monthly honorarium from past 18 months. The government is pushing hundreds of casual labourers, need base workers and daily rated employees to face hardships,” said a protesting employee.They added that the Eid-ul-Fitr is being celebrated in Kashmir and the department is turning their blind eye towards us,” an employee said.
The protestors also said that Finance department has released the amount for the employees but the department is unnecessarily delaying to release the pending monthly honorarium of the employees, adding that the delay in releasing their monthly honorarium has resulted in immense hardships to their families.“We are appealing the government that it’s an injustice with us, they cannot keep us like this we all are going through a huge problem,” the President of the association, Sajad Ahmad Parray said.“If the government has approved the salaries for both Jammu and Kashmir then why is Kashmir part being neglected, he added.Earlier, on June 07, three days of strike call was given by Kashmir Public Health Engineering Joint Employees Association (PHEJEA) against their pending salaries and the call has begun on Thursday. (PTK)