Daily Wagers Protest in J&K: A Call for Long-Awaited Justice

Daily wage workers from the Public Health Engineering Department staged a protest demanding regularization and salary payments. The police intervened using light force to prevent further escalation. The protest stemmed from government inaction on pre-election promises to resolve long-standing employment issues, prompting criticism from union leaders.

In a significant upheaval on Friday, daily wage workers from the Public Health Engineering (PHE) department in Jammu and Kashmir took to the streets, demanding their long-overdue rights. The protestors, supported by the PHE Employees Union, rallied for regularization of their employment and release of pending wages.

The peaceful demonstration was disrupted as police forces resorted to minor cane charges to manage the throng of workers heading toward Chief Minister Omar Abdullah's residence, despite barricades set up to deter them. Slogans echoed through the streets as the daily wagers expressed discontent with the government's unfulfilled pre-election promises.

A committee was formed recently to address these issues, but union leaders argue that such moves are mere delaying tactics. They voiced strong criticism against the National Conference government, particularly targeting the Chief Minister for prioritizing legislative pay hikes over addressing the workers' needs.

(With inputs from agencies.)