Employees' strike paralyses Kashmir offices

Jammu, April 17 (IANS) A section of Jammu and Kashmir government employees struck work Tuesday demanding, among others, an increase in the retirement age and regularisation of services of casual workers, and paralysed offices, a protester said.

Nearly 450,000 employees joined the strike across the state paralysing government work. Only middle and senior level officers attended office.

Ram Kumar, a leader of Employees Joint Action Committee, said: 'The government has befooled us by not keeping its promise.'

'Today's strike was complete and if the government does not agree to our demands, we will go for two days' strike on May 8-9,' he said.

The employees are demanding an increase in the retirement age from 58 to 60 years, regularising the services of daily wagers and adhoc employees working since 1994 and framing a policy for regularising temporary employees besides other demands like removal of grade anomaly.