The Centre of Indian Trade Unions condemns invoking of ESMA by the J&K Govt to crush the ongoing strike by the State Govt employees at Jammu & Kashmir.
The State Govt employees had been on strike since last three days demanding payment of arrears on account of implementation of sixth pay commission pay scales. The Govt is lawfully bound to make the payment. The employees unions have long been pursuing this demand with the state govt and launched several agitations short of strike during last one and half year to sensitise the State Govt to release the legitimate dues of the employees, failing which the employees had to finally resort to strike action. Almost hundred per cent employees of govt departments and state undertakings joined the strike.
The State Govt itself is at fault as it failed to release the legitimate dues of the employees on time. Instead, it sought to bulldoze the democratic right of the employees by invoking ESMA which warrants condemnation.
CITU expresses solidarity with over 4.5 lakh striking employees of J&K struggling for just demands and demands upon the Govt of J&K to withdraw the invoking of ESMA forthwith and sort out the just demands of the employees without further delay in consultation with their unions/associations.
More than 450,000 government employees of Jammu and Kashmir Saturday began a four-day strike demanding payment of arrears due to them as per the recommendations of the Sixth Pay Commission. The strike paralysed work in almost all government offices across the state, though essential services like hospitals, public health engineering and power supply continued to operate.
