Srinagar: Senior PDP leader Waheed-Ur-Rehman Para on Wednesday sought the intervention of Jammu and Kashmir High Court for the implementation of Minimum Wages Act to ensure economic justice for labourers working in government sectors in the Union Territory.
Para, an MLA from Pulwama, made the plea in a petition letter addressed to the J&K and Ladakh High Court Chief Justice Arun Palli.
In his petition, the PDP leader said as a public representative, he has been hearing grievances about the “exploitation faced by need-based, seasonal, casual and regular employees across government offices wherein the mandate and law of Minimum Wages Act and rules are not implemented in providing them with monthly and daily wages/salary as per the rule sanctioned by the government”.
Para said he came to know that the government has increased wages for the skilled, unskilled, highly skilled and ministerial work across Jammu and Kashmir, while for daily-wagers, the amount has been hiked to Rs 300 per day.
“There are complaints and concerns from the seasonal and casual labourers that the new revised rates are not implemented in letter and spirit,” he said.
Para said he, on a personal level, sought relevant documentation regarding the revised rates and about the details of the number of casual labourers and other labourers competent to get the revised rates, but was not given the relevant papers.
“The applicant believes that the state and its instrumentalities have a moral duty to ensure its citizens, particularly those working in the government sector, are treated with fair wages that are dignified,” he said in the petition.
He sought the personal intervention of the chief justice for implementation of the Minimum Wages Act across Jammu and Kashmir government offices to strengthen fundamental rights of the workers under Article 15 and 21 of the Constitution and also requested him to seek a status report or action taken report from the competent department.
“The non-compliance of revised rates has violated fundamental rights of labourers and amounts to infringement of their right to work, right to equal opportunity to work, right to equality, and right to dignity,” the PDP leader said.
