GUWAHATI, Oct 5 � Expressing strong resentment over the absence of promotion avenues and demanding fair job opportunities, the Public Health Engineering Workers and Employees� Union has warned of a strong movement if their demands are not fulfilled.
The workers� union alleged that the government was neglecting the long-pending legitimate demands of the PHE workers, and their grievances were being overlooked by the authorities concerned.
The employees demanded confirmation of more than 12,000 personal posts of the employees, and framing of personal rules for the workers and employees and approval of service rules through negotiation with the representatives of the union.
�The strength of personal posts constituted by exclusively for the PHE department is shrinking gradually as there is no provision for recruitment against those posts, nor the employees working currently on the posts get the opportunity of promotion or salary revision, etc. The muster roll workers, engaged with the department prior to April 1993, are working with a meagre remuneration, which is undemocratic in nature,� said Biswajit Pal Chaudhury, general secretary of the union.
�Engaged in the essential service like urban water treatment plant and rural water supply scheme, the Grade III and Grade IV employees are the ones working in the field. However, the condition of most of these employees is pitiable in the absence of rational pay structure,� he said.
�If no action is taken on our demands, we would resort to a strong democratic movement,� he added.
A State-level convention of the PHE workers would be held in Hailakandi on November 9. The workers opposed the move of privatization of PHE department and demanded field allowance to all the grade IV workers of the PHE.
