Cabinet Sub-committee reconstituted
SRINAGAR: In a bid to end deadlock with the beleaguered employees, the government in Jammu and Kashmir on Saturday invited their leadership for ‘unconditional’ talks.
The talks have been proposed to be held on Sep 17, when a five-day protest programme by the JCC – an alliance of employee unions – was scheduled to begin.
Meanwhile, the Cabinet Sub Committee to look into the affairs of the employees have been reconstituted and two new Ministers in place of Peerzada Mohammad Syed and S.S.Slathia have been made part of it, a local news agency, CNS, reports.
Confirming the development, JCC leader Haji Mohammad Ashraf Bhat said they had received an invitation from Finance Minister, Abdul Rahim Rather requesting them to hold a meeting in Civil Secretariat on September 13.
The invitation has been extended to four leaders – Abdul Qayoom Wani, Abdul Rouf Bhat, Abdul Gafoor Dar and Haji Mohammad Ashraf Bhat.
Sources told CNS in the next phase, other leaders pertaining to different employees associations and groups would be invited for talks.
The JCC has been pressing the government to implement an agreement reached last year over a number of demands.
They include an increase in the retirement age from present 58 years to 60 years, regularisation of daily wagers, casual labourers and contractuals, who have completed seven years in service, and release of pay of employees working without salaries for the past six months.
As per the invitation letter, the meeting would be presided by Finance Minister Abdul Rahim Rather. Besides Rather, Chief Secretary, six members of the Cabinet Sub Committee and Principal Secretary Planning, Home and Finance.
Meanwhile, the General Administration Department vide order number 1313 of 2013 has reconstituted the Cabinet Sub Committee that was set up to look into the demands of the employees.
In place of Peerzada Mohammad Syed and Surjit Singh Slathia, PHE minister Sham Lal Sharma and Ajay Sadhotra have been made part of this committee.
The six members of the CSC would be now Abdul Rahim Rather,Taj Mohi-u-Din, Ali Mohammad Sagar, Rigzin Jora, Sham Lal and Ajay Sadhotra.
