J&K staff return to work after 4 days; get ready for more protest

About five lakh employees resumed work in government offices and educational institutions in Jammu and Kashmir after a four-day strike. However, the employees' unions have announced another four-day protest programme from June 13.

About five lakh employees resumed work in government offices and educational institutions in Jammu and Kashmir after a four-day strike. However, the employees' unions have announced another four-day protest programme from June 13.

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The entire leadership of the Joint Consultative Committee and other employees' union of various departments, which was arrested, after the government failed to dissuade them from leaving the path of agitation, and many lower-rung employees' leaders' who courted arrest to press for the implementation of their demands even as police was able to foil a proposed march towards civil secretariat in Srinagar, were released on Saturday evening.

On Monday, all government offices, including educational institutions, started functioning normally. The headquarters of consumer affairs and public distribution was also open.

The employees had stayed away from work from May 24 to May 27 to protest the government's "indifference" towards resolving their demands. They had earlier observed a two-day strike from May 8, a day after the civil secretariat - the seat of the state government - reopened in the summer capital.

The employees are demanding payment of arrears according to the 6th Pay Commission, regularisation of daily wagers, contract staff, anganwadi workers and ad hoc employees and increase in the retirement age from 58 to 60 years. The employees said the government was not serious about fulfilling their demands.

Both factions of the Hurriyat Conference (HC) and other mainstream parties had also supported the employees' demands.