Though essence of May Day is embedded in the spirits of the welfare of labourers working in Government Departments, Public Sector Undertakings (PSUs) and even private business houses but unfortunately May Day is not celebrated with this spirit in Jammu & Kashmir since last several decades. With around one lac daily wagers waiting for their regularizations for years together the resolution of their basic demands does not head to any dead end even after years of exploitation by political leaders who ruled the erstwhile Jammu & Kashmir state for decades together. Undoubtedly changes that followed bifurcation of the erstwhile state into two union territories and abrogation of Article 370 almost four and half years ago generated hopes of permanent settlement of basic job issues amongst one lac daily wagers working in the departments of Power development, Jal Shakti, Food , Civil Supplies & Consumer Affairs (FCS&CA), Forest, Agriculture, Horticulture, Sheep Husbandry, Public Works and Urban Local Bodies (ULBs) but still their demands are pending disposal before a committee constituted by the Government last year. More than the regularisation of their services in the departments in which they are working the daily wagers numbering around one lac are still waiting for the long awaited implementation of Central Government Wages Act in Jammu & Kashmir.
“Denying daily wagers of different departments the wages they deserve at the end of every month is in fact violation of the constitutional principle of equal pay for equal work. After all the Supreme Court in a case titled Sanjit Roy v State of Rajasthan (1980) has held that payment of anything less than the minimum wages would amount to forced labour and violation of Article 23 of the Constitution of India. Jammu & Kashmir Government in the light of this landmark judgment of the Supreme Court is obliged to ensure protection of basic rights of daily wagers working in different departments for years together”.
The implementation of Central Government Wages Acts in the eyes of laws would at least replace bad practice of releasing wages to most of the daily wagers only on the occasions of Eid, Diwali and Holi with a much desired practice of paying them their wages on monthly basis. Unfortunately most of the casual and need based workers engaged by different department in previous years are not getting their wages on monthly basis. Not to talk of the daily a wager working in different Government Departments the Government is obliged to to secure even the working and economic conditions of workers of private sector also. Denying daily wagers of different departments the wages they deserve at the end of every month is in fact violation of the constitutional principle of equal pay for equal work. After all the Supreme Court in a case titled Sanjit Roy v State of Rajasthan (1980) has held that payment of anything less than the minimum wages would amount to forced labour and violation of Article 23 of the Constitution of India. Jammu & Kashmir Government in the light of this landmark judgment of the Supreme Court is obliged to ensure protection of basic rights of daily wagers working in different departments for years together.
