Chenani Nashri Fourlane & Tunnel workers stage demo:Broader platform only way to force the government to resokve workers demands, Says Tarigami Jammu, Jan 30: Thousands of workers of Chenani-Nashri Four Lane and Tunnel road project today held a massive protest demonstration against government inaction and indifference towards their genuine and legitimate demands. The demonstration was organized by Chenani-Nashri Four Lane and Tunnel Construction Workers Union under the banner of Centre of Indian Trade Unions (CITU) at Chenani. According to a statement issued here Thursday the protesting workers were shouting slogans demanding implementation of labour laws & Minimum Wages Act, re-instating of terminated workers by the management from time to time, withdrawal of false and frivolous cases against the workers, wages in lieu of overtime, weekly rest, National Holidays to be paid, grant of casual, earned and medical leave, classification of workers as skilled, semi-skilled and unskilled on the basis of the job performed. Addressing the workers State Secretary CPI(M) and president CITU, Mohammad Yousuf Tarigami said that the basic right to protest in favour of demands is being crushed whenever people demonstrate. He said that the workers are denied basic statuary facilities and are also being subjected to unlawful victimization in terms of rampant dismissal whenever they protest through a strong contractor management-administration-police nexus. The way right to peaceful protests are being stifled will only encourage the emergence of autocratic and violent forces in the society Tarigami said and demanded immediate re-instating of those workers who have been terminated and withdrawal of false and frivolous cases against the workers. The trade unions cannot accept the present state of inaction and indifference on the pressing demands of the workers, the CPI(M) leader said and urged that in the face of continuing unresponsiveness only broader platform and united movements can force the government to listen to the voiceless and oppressed. This working class unity has to be widened with other toiling sections of the society to oppose exploitation and the anti poor policies, he stressed. General Secretary CITU Om Prakash lamented that the workers at Chenani-Udhampur road project are not being paid even minimum wages, not covered under social benefits like Employees Provident Fund Act, not being paid their allowances for overtime and there is no sufficient safety mechanism available to them. The police is unnecessarily arresting the workers in fake cases to crush their protest demonstration for their genuine rights he said and added that the management of the project should carry the workers along and not to take them at a ride. Demanding no police intervention in workers issues, senior trade union leader Sham Prasad Kesar said that the workers who have been terminated should be reinstated without any further delay and they shall also be provided facilities under Labour Act. He stressed upon the management to avoid confrontation and find out an amicable solution to the issues through negotiations with the representatives of workers unions and associations. Arshid Malik President and Abdul Rashid General Secretary of Four Lane Construction Workers Union also addressed the protesting workers and said that on one side, government is claiming that these projects will provide jobs to hundreds of unemployed youth in the region, while, on the other hand, workers are not only being thrown out of jobs, but also punished with force.
Posted on: Thu, 30 Jan 2014 17:21:13 +0000