Jammu and Kashmir administration warns employees against proposed agitation

The Jammu and Kashmir administration has warned employees against going ahead with their proposed agitation, saying such acts will attract disciplinary action. 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.

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.

Government order

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 favor 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 departments 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 employees found involved in organizing demonstrations and strikes, the order added.

Reaction from CPIM leader

Reacting to the order, senior CPIM 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.

Earlier developments

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.

Suspension of protest in Jammu

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 program."

He also appealed to the Kashmir wing of JAEF to suspend Saturday's program.

Assurances from the divisional commissioner

The official spokesperson 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 spokesperson said.

The Jammu and Kashmir administration's warning to employees against participating in the proposed agitation reflects the government's concerns about the potential impact of the strike on public services. While the Jammu wing of the JAEF has decided to suspend its protest, it remains to be seen whether the Kashmir wing will follow suit. The government's assurances to consider the employees' demands may help defuse the situation, but it is important to address the underlying issues that led to the planned strike in order to prevent future unrest.