Excelsior Correspondent
Srinagar, Aug 27: The J&K Casual Daily Wagers Forum (JKCDWF) today announced a protest on September 1 over the prolonged delay in regularising 61,000 daily wagers, warning that the agitation could escalate to hunger strikes and work stoppages if the Government fails to act.
Addressing a press conference here, Forum president Sajjad Ahmad Parray said daily wagers had been waiting for a clear roadmap on regularisation despite repeated assurances from the Government.
He said the Government had constituted a committee headed by the Chief Secretary on March 11, 2025, with a mandate to prepare a roadmap for regularising daily wagers and submit its report and recommendations within six months.
"However, despite the passage of 17 months, there is still no trace of the committee's report or recommendations," Parray said.
The forum said the delay was particularly concerning as the Chief Minister had subsequently assured the Legislative Assembly that the regularisation process would begin during the current financial year.
Parray urged the Chief Minister to honour commitments made in the election manifesto as well as the assurance given on the floor of the Assembly.
He also questioned what he described as the Government's differing priorities, asking why issues concerning the salaries and pensions of legislators were being addressed with urgency while the long-pending demands of thousands of daily wagers remained unresolved.
The forum said around 4.5 lakh employees, three lakh pensioners and 61,000 daily wagers, along with their dependent family members, had placed their faith in promises relating to regularisation and restoration of the Old Pension Scheme.
Highlighting the workers' working conditions, Parray said daily wagers continued to perform hazardous duties, including working on electric poles, while facing the prospect of spending decades in service without secure employment and retiring without adequate financial security.
He said the monthly remuneration of around Rs 9,000 was increasingly inadequate amid rising prices, household expenses, medical costs, children's education and higher utility bills.
He said the September 1 protest would be the first phase of a renewed and organised democratic campaign for regularisation, justice, dignity and a secure future.
Parray warned that if the Government continued to delay a permanent solution, the forum would consider intensifying the agitation through hunger strikes and work stoppages.