MUZAFFARABAD (Kashmir English): The PWD Workers Union’s protest continued for the sixth day in Muzaffarabad and the Jhelum Valley district.
The employees are reiterating their demand for upgradation, permanent employment, risk allowance, and implementation of other charters of demand.
The protesters have warned that if their demands are not accepted, they will continue to sit on the streets on Eid and completely boycott emergency services.
Union representatives say that today, the central president, Iftikhar Sahib, came to the Muzaffarabad camp and discussed the future course of action.
They said that our protest is peaceful and our demand is only upgradation, permanentization of employees who have been working for more than ten years, and provision of risk allowance.
“We are not demanding the budget of the entire Azad Kashmir, only that our accepted charter of demand be implemented,” the workers said.
The protesters further said that the upgradation of employees from grades 1 to 7 has not been done yet, while this process has been completed in other departments.
“We were assured that our recommendations would be heard and included in the budget by the 30th, but so far, there has been no practical progress from the government.”
PWD employees complained to the government that for the last 70 years, the workers of the highways department have been living a life of misery.
They are neither given danger allowance, nor financial assistance in case of any accident, nor is there any facility of hardship allowance.
The workers said, “We have no desire to hold sit-ins on the roads, but if our words are not heard, we will be forced to stop emergency services and will be on the roads even on Eid. When the people are making sacrifices, our workers will be protesting for their rights.”
Sit-downs are ongoing in both Muzaffarabad and Jhelum Valley, and the protesters have announced that if the government does not show seriousness, the scope of the protest will be further expanded.
