Jammu and Kashmir National Conference on Friday expressed concern over holding back of salaries of daily wagers working in different departments, saying the government must support their livelihood.
While expressing concern over the plight of daily wage employees working in various departments including JKPDL/TDL of JKPDD, Party’s additional Spokesperson Sarah Hayat Shah said, “It is highly unbecoming of government to withhold their salaries. Most of these are presently working on ground battling the challenges that COVID-19 has thrown at us.
Given the fact that these employees are working day in, day out to sustain the effective amenities for people by overlooking hazards, they should have been given more incentives. Their work merits so, in these trying times. Regrettably the government has left them high and dry, hankering for even their monthly wages.”
She said that at a time when we see hundreds of orders being circulated round the clock what holds the government back from regularizing scores of contractual, casual and daily wagers, “Withholding their monthly salaries is like further pushing these ill-fated and under paid employees to wall.
To go without salaries would undeniably be very stressful for them as they have to provide for their families, pay rents, bills etc. How are these people supposed to bear medical costs of their elderly? Delaying the payment of wages will push them into debt. The families associated with these employees are cash-strapped and may even be running out of food in coming days, if the problem persists” she said.
Additional spokesperson said that government is duty bound to look after the laborers, who eke out their living by doing manual work including cabbies, hawkers, and street vendors. “I hope government rises up to the challenges that the present situation has thrown at us. I urge the government to address the genuine concerns of the employees by doing away with pay anomalies in case of contractual workers, and disbursing their monthly wages on time,” she said.
