Uttarakhand Rajya Nigam Karmachari/Adhikari Mahasangh warns of work boycott over unaddressed demands 

PIONEER EDGE NEWS SERVICE / Dehradun

Uttarakhand Rajya Nigam Karmachari/Adhikari Mahasangh (URNKAM) on Thursday warned the State government of an all-out agitation, including a possible work boycott, if its long-pending 10-point charter of demands is not addressed soon.

Addressing the media here on Thursday, URNKAM State general secretary SS Negi said that nearly 40,000 employees working in various State corporations, boards and undertakings remain affected by unresolved service-related issues. He stated that although a meeting on the matter had earlier been chaired by the chief minister, no concrete outcome has followed so far.

According to Negi, repeated representations have been submitted to the government since last year, but the issues remain pending. The federation has now announced a phased agitation programme across the State.

As part of the protest plan, employees will hold a demonstration at Haldwani Bus Stand in Nainital district on April 23, followed by another protest at the Garhwal Mandal Vikas Nigam office in Haridwar on April 30. A relay hunger strike is scheduled to begin at Ekta Vihar in Dehradun from May 12.

Negi added that if the demands are still not addressed after these steps, employees will move towards a complete work boycott.

Key demands include regularisation and social security benefits for contractual, UPNL, outsourced and daily-wage workers, filling of vacant posts, structural reforms in State corporations and abolition of the contract system. The federation has also sought pension benefits for employees appointed after 2014 and upgradation of Rs 1,900 grade pay to Rs 2,000 under MACP. Other demands include restoration of health facilities under the Golden Card scheme and relaxation in promotion norms. Negi said that the agitation will be intensified if the issues remain unresolved.