Contingent Paid Staff: In Line Of Virus Sans Salary

Srinagar, April 23 (GNS): Contingent Paid Workers of the school education department on Thursday said that they are without due wages from last more than three years even as they discharge all assigned jobs without fail during trying times including present pandemic.

“We have been deputed at isolation wards but we never complain. The government should also realize that we have lot of responsibilities to discharge including managing our day-to-day affairs as well as support our families who are dependent on us,” Hilal Ahmad Reshi, State General Secretary of Contingent Paid Workers (CPWs) Union J&K, told GNS.

“Our salary has not been released since 2017 even as we continue to perform our duties,” he said.

Since years, he said, contingent paid staff is working in school as sweeper, night guards etc.

“We are performing all duties like night duty, cleaning of school grounds ,class rooms , and also perform election duties in times of polls,” he said, adding, “There is an SRO-308 which details with regularization policy well as seniority etc. There is a huge number of vacancies in all districts but unfortunately, the concerned Department is playing with us.”

He said that the contingent paid works never shy from performing any task assigned by the government.

“We request the authorities to regularize our services, release our salary,” he said, adding, “if anything wrong happens to us, what will happen to our families, our partners, our children. Who will take their responsibility?”

He alleged that everyone was ignoring them and nobody comes forward to end “injustice with us.”

“In today’s lockdown our families suffer and our children can’t effort to have proper education,”

Referring to 2016 unrest which saw burning down of schools at several places, he said: “we risked our lives and came forward to protect school buildings,” he said and demanded government to release their pending wages and ensure their regularization “without any further delay.” (GNS)