Daily wage employees of agriculture department threaten suicide (23 September 2007)

Srinagar, Sept 23: For the past one month, nearly 530 daily wage employees of Agricultural Department are holding a sit-down protest under a tent in the premises of the office of Agricultural Complex at Lalmandi. The employees have threatened to commit suicide if their demands are not fulfilled. “Our Director has promised us to settle the matter within a few days and if the promise is breached we will commit suicide in front of the director’s office,” said the striking employees. These daily wagers said for the past 10 years they have been demanding that their jobs should be regularized, but “the authorities don’t seem to be bothered”. Showkat Ahmad Mir, an employee, said, “They have only formed committees to discuss our demands, but they don’t solve our problem. Whenever a committee recommends regularization of our job, it is dissolved and new committee is formed to submit a new report. Every month they tell us that the committee’s report will be out soon.” These employees said they have not received wages since July 2006. “Our families are suffering and the authorities say they don’t money to pay us,” said the employees. They further added, “Ever since we started the strike the authorities are willing to pay us the salary for the nine months of the year 2007. But we can’t understand why they won’t give us our hard earned wages for the year 2006. We won’t accept this; they should pay us everything due to us.” According to these workers, the Director of Agriculture had sent a list of daily wage employees to the higher authorities in the Administrative Secretariat, which has formed another enquiry committee to look into the matter and submit its report. “The committee was formed eight months back but it is yet to submit its report. Now the Director has promised us that the final report will be sent to the Administrative Secretariat before September 21. But if the government reneges on its promise this time, we would be compelled to take some harsh measure,” the workers said.