J&K govt warns employees against holding demonstrations, strikes

Srinagar/Jammu, Nov 3 (PTI) The Jammu and Kashmir administration on Friday warned employees against going ahead with their proposed agitation, saying such acts will attract disciplinary action.

Meanwhile, the Jammu wing of the Joint Action Employees Forum (JAEF) decided to suspend their protest on Saturday after a meeting with Divisional Commissioner Ramesh Kumar Friday night and requested its Kashmir counterpart to follow suit.

In an order Friday night, the General Administration Department stated that it has come to the fore that some employees are resorting to demonstrations and strikes in favour of certain demands.

The Jammu and Kashmir Government Employees (Conduct) Rules, 1971, make it clear that no government employee shall resort to or in any way abet any form of strike in connection with any matter pertaining to his service or the service of any other government employee.

“The aforesaid provision of law is not merely declaratory in nature and shall definitely entail consequences in the event of any such employee found immersive in such acts,” the order said.

Therefore, all administrative secretaries are requested to circulate these instructions to employees in their respective department(s) to desist from all such uncalled for demonstrations and strikes – an act of serious indiscipline and misconduct, the government said.

The departments are also impressed upon to take strict disciplinary action against any such employee(s) found involved in organising demonstration(s) and strike(s), the order added.

Reacting to the order, senior CPI(M) leader M Y Tarigami said it was yet another assault on the constitutional rights of employees.

“The order contravenes the ILO conventions to which India is a party. Government employees only stage demonstrations and rallies when their legitimate and just demands are not fulfilled. The directive is yet another assault on the employees’ and workers’ constitutional rights,” Tarigami said in a post on X.

On October 20, Jammu and Kashmir government employees had threatened to launch an agitation to press their various demands and said that there will be simultaneous protests in Jammu and Srinagar on November 4.

According to an official spokesperson, JAEF office-bearers met the Jammu divisional commissioner over their various demands, including those related to provident fund and gratuity.

After the meeting, JAEF leader Susheel Soodan said, “We had a detailed discussion with the divisional commissioner on various demands, particularly with regard to general provident fund, leave encashment and gratuity. The joint action forum will meet him again at 11 AM tomorrow. Therefore, we suspend tomorrow’s programme.”

He also appealed to the Kashmir wing of JAEF to suspend Saturday’s programme.

The official spokesman said the divisional commissioner assured the JAEF officer-bearers that all their genuine demands would be considered for resolution.

“In light of these assurances, the office-bearers have taken the decision to suspend their strike,” the spokesman said.