Kashmir
Monitor: Srinagar: Sunday, 20 December 2015.
Even though
Jammu and Kashmir has witnessed mushroom growth of employee unions over the
years, only a handful of them are registered with the government, reveals a
reply to a recent RTI.
There are
around four lac government employees in J&K backed by hundreds of unions
who all claim working for redressal of employees’ issues. These people run
parallel union offices within government departments and are mostly exempted
from duties.
However
according to the official reply to an RTI filed by Omaan Umar, a social
activist, except a handful of employee unions, government is not aware about
such unions that apparently function in most of its departments.
One of the
reply documents state that there exists no employees union in Government
Medical College (GMC) Srinagar and its associated hospitals.
Public
Information Officer of Government Chest Diseases Hospital Srinagar says the
hospital doesn't have any elected union leader at present. Similarly, no
employee-union exists in GB Panth Hospital Srinagar, Government Nursing Home,
LD Hospital Srinagar, Govt Psychiatric Hospital Srinagar, SMHS Hospital and
various other associated hospitals of GMC Srinagar.
In Indian
Systems of Medicine J&K too, no trade union is registered in the
department.
In the reply,
Directorate of Health Services Kashmir also confirms that no trade union is
registered as per records available with it.
However on
ground the situation is completely different as many employee unions are
currently active and manage employee issues at higher level including meeting
with the concerned cabinet ministers.
Recently,
State Health Minister Lal Singh, according to an official statement, met one of
the union leaders of his department.
The situation
is quite similar in Jammu as well.
In the reply,
the GMC Jammu and its associated hospitals have also expressed ignorance about
running any trade union in hospitals. The CD Hospital Jammu, Indira Gandhi Govt
Dental College and other hospitals in Jammu according to details do not have
any employee unions.
But even
after authorities claiming ignorance, many leaders of various employee unions
of health department Jammu had met government representatives including
Minister concerned Lal Singh and claimed that they represent the employees’
body of their respective hospitals.
Apart from
Health, The Jammu Municipal Corporation, PMGSY, Lakes and Waterways Development
Authority, Urban Local Bodies and several other government offices have stated
that there exists no trade union in official records.
But despite
that the leaders of these ‘employees union’ as per press statements have been
meeting government representatives and resorting to protests against their
demands. Whenever there are any issues between government and employees, the
authorities have invited leaders of these unions, which as per official
documents do not exist anywhere.
Minister for
Health Chowdhary Lal Singh, who met representatives of these ‘employees unions’
recently said, “I meet employees representatives but I am not aware whether
their unions are registered with the government.”
“No circular
has been issued wherein trade union leaders/its office bearers are exempted
from performing their duties,” reveals the RTI reply.
Even after
this employees neglect their official duty and follow leaders of these employee
unions.
“If employees
remain away from duties on call of these leaders then how does government pay
them salaries if they are not registered,” questions Omaan, the one who filed
the RTI.
Outside the
J&K, only those employee or trade unions which are registered are allowed
to meet government representatives and protest in favour of their demands.
“It is very
surprisingly that authorities of these departments say that no trade unions
exist despite government providing them accommodation to run these unions. The leaders
of these unrecognized unions spend most of their time in union offices which
are allotted to them by departments and remain exempted from duties,” said an
official source.
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