Srinagar: On World Labour Day, casual labourers employed by the Public Health Engineering (PHE) department demanded payment of their daily wages which are pending for a four-year period from 2015 to 2018.
As per official records, more than 10,000 registered casual labourers work for the PHE department. They are not entitled to any leaves or allowances in addition to the daily wages.
“Our four years’ wages are pending with the department. We approached officials many times but nothing happened,” said a PHE casual labourer, Mushtaq Ahmad.
“My family puts pressure on me to leave this job but I have three children and this is the only source of my livelihood. I continue with this job in the hope that I will get permanent and I will receive good amount of salary. But it has been 23 years now and nothing has been done,” he said.
“Our families are facing starvation and in the lockdown period is creating more problem. If they release our pending wages, it will be a great relief to us,” Mushtaq said.
Another causal labourer, Gulzar Ahmad, said he has a bank loan to repay and is in dire need of the pending wages.
Sajjad Ahmad Parra, president of the Jammu and Kashmir Daily Wagers Union, appealed to the government to release the pending wages of all casual labourers employed in government departments.
“Casual labourers work day in and day out but still they are the worst sufferers. They don’t get the benefits they deserve and even their wages are pending with the department. Many of them are the only bread-earners for their families,” Parra said.
Chief Engineer PHE, Abdul Wahid, told Kashmir Reader that since last year as per the government order the wages are being released on time. He acknowledged that the previous four years’ wages were a liability with the department.
“We sent a requisition to the government to release the pending wages of two years. Once the government approves it, they will receive their pending wages,” Wahid said.

NAZIMA SIDIQ