Srinagar : Senior National Conference leader and Member Parliament from Anantnag Lok Sabha Constituency Justice (Retd) Hasnain Masood has asked the government to extend benefit of hike in wages ordered vide Government.Order No: 121 – F of 2022 dated 23.04.2022 to all the workers performing duties in government, semi- government departments, local bodies, autonomous bodies and other organisations, irrespective of their designation or nomenclature of the positions held and the emoluments/ at present paid to them.
In a statement issued to press, Masoodi has said that while the Government Order 121-F of 2022 is a welcome step, it would be meaningless and push to uncertainty thousands of workers who though similarly placed ad Daily Rated Workers and Casual Workers may be deprived of the benefit on the pretext of different nomenclature or the wages presently paid to them. The statement emphasises that the workers discharging duties in different departments for a long time, though designated as need based, consolidated or seasonal workers should be declared to fall within purview of SROs 460 and 520 of 2017 and therefore entitled to the benefit of wage hike under the G.O No. 121 – F of 2022. The statement adds that thousands of such workers on the rolls of Animal Husbandry, Agriculture, Forest, Wild Life, Health, Education and other Departments face uncertainty and are going through a situation of grave mental agony. Masoodi has asked the administration to come out with necessary instructions to the HoDs at the earliest so that much awaited relief reaches the Workers waiting for justice since long.
The statement reminds the administration that while wage hike would bring temporary relief to the Workers, the real redressal of the grievances would only come with regularisation of the services of 61 thousand Daily Rated, Casual, Need based, Seasonal, Consolidated, Development Fund and other workers. The process of regularisation therefore deserves to be expedited, the statement adds.
The statement also reiterates demand to resolve the genuine demand of other left out segments of working class like Home guards, Anganwadi workers and helpers, Asha workers who though performing commendable job in their respective fields are not being paid what is genuinely due to them. It points out that while Home Guards in NCT Delhi are paid a monthly salary of Rs. 22,260, Home Guard in Jammu and Kashmir are paid a meagre amount of Rs. 2700 per month. Masoodi has demanded that salary of Home Guards in Jammu and Kashmir be bat par with their counterparts in NCT Delhi extension in service as per past practice.
