Jammu: The Municipal Corporation Union on Thursday staged a protest rally in Jammu, demanding implementation of Union Territory level salary norms and key policy changes for municipal employees.
The protest, led by Union president Rinku Gill, began at the Town Hall and culminated at the Secretariat, where workers raised slogans in support of their demands and accused the administration of ignoring long pending issues affecting municipal staff.
Addressing the gathering, Gill demanded an end to the NGO system in municipal operations and called for the implementation of service rules applicable in Kashmir to be extended to the Jammu division as well. He said the disparity in policies and wages had created injustice among employees performing similar duties across the Union Territory.
Gill also pressed for salaries to be fixed under the Minimum Wages Act in line with Union Territory norms, stating that municipal workers were being denied fair compensation despite their essential role in civic services. He said the present wage structure failed to reflect the rising cost of living and the responsibilities borne by sanitation and field staff.
The union president warned that if the demands were not addressed in the upcoming budget, the Municipal Corporation Union would intensify its agitation. He said employees were left with no option but to protest after repeated representations failed to yield results.
Union leaders said the protest was peaceful and aimed at drawing the government’s attention to policy gaps that continued to affect job security, wages and working conditions of municipal employees in Jammu. [KNT]
