SRINAGAR, June 16: Schools and government offices in Jammu and Kashmir state were closed Saturday in view of a lock-down call given by a trade union of state employees.
Nearly half a million employees including teachers remained absent from duties in view of a strike called by the Joint Consultative Committee (JCC) -an umbrella organisation of all employees’ unions- as part of a four-day series of protests to demand payment of arrears from the sixth pay commission, regularisation of contractual emplyees and a raise in the retirement age from 58 years to 60 years.
A large deployment of police and paramilitaries in riot gear foiled a proposed march of hundreds of employees from Sher-i-Kashmir park in Srinagar to the governor’s house at Raj Bhawan. Scores of them, including senior leaders of the JCC, were detained by the police after a baton charge.
In May last, schools and offices remained closed for a consecutive three days due to strike by the employees. But any negotiations with the authorities remained inconclusive.
A senior leader of the JCC, Khursheed Alam said, “This is a tourist season and we dont want to spoil things. But if any inconvenience is caused to students or the people, the government is responsible for it.”
“What we feel is that the government is taking our demands too carelessly and non-seriously.”
“Last year, they had signed an agreement with us assuring that our demands would be met, but now they are retracting from their commitment,” he said.
The state government had formed a panel headed by state Chief Secretary Madhav Lal, but they are yet to take a final decision on its recommendations.
