Social engineering for social transformation is always focused on growth and development of the deprived sections of society but with this whole process coming to a grinding halt during last two years the economic stress triggered by two years of pandemic has hit hard the people of underprivileged classes in Jammu & Kashmir like several other parts of the country. Affluent classes were though expected to come to the rescue of the people of underprivileged classes but they could not do so because of the fear of the increasing stress on trade and business activities across the country. As the people working in the private sector lost jobs at a very fast pace, their focus shifted from the growth and development of underprivileged sections of the society to their own survival during the pandemic period. Amid pandemic exploitation of people of underprivileged sections of the society in the name of employment was noticed in private sector and consequently their exploitation in private job markets rose to new heights with every passing day after the breakout of the covid-19 pandemic in March 2020. Though initiatives had to be taken to reduce the intensity of the exploitation of the people of underprivileged sections of the society in the name of employment but such initiatives could not be taken because of the shift of the public focus from economic concerns to human survival. Since the mounting economic stress triggered by covid-19 pandemic has started reducing gradually during last two months, the exploitation of people in the name of employment in private sector has to end sooner than later. People hit by the high intensity economic stress have to be paid properly by their employers in private sector and the practice of asking them to work for too many extra hours also has to end. Above all such workers are not to be mistreated at work places the way they have been mistreated by their employers at work places on reduced wages during last two years of pandemic.
While the employer has to reduce the working hours increased by him during the high intensity pandemic period, the employee has not to demand wages beyond the paying capacity of the employer in view of the reduced frequency in trade and business activities in Jammu & Kashmir like several other parts of the country. In the times of reduced COVID-19 pandemic and the economic stress the restoration of trade and business activities to days of pre-covid normalities has to be a priority.
The employers in private sector have to keep in mind that poorly paid workers can’t withstand the increasing working pressures for too long. Finally it is not the issue of government intervention but a matter of human and business ethics. Both the employer and the employee have to understand the compulsions of the economic stress triggered by two successive covid lockdowns in last two years. While the employer has to reduce the working hours increased by him during the high intensity pandemic period, the employee has not to demand wages beyond the paying capacity of the employer in view of the reduced frequency in trade and business activities in Jammu & Kashmir like several other parts of the country. In the times of reduced COVID-19 pandemic and the economic stress the restoration of trade and business activities to days of pre-covid normalities has to be a priority.
