Srinagar : In the wake of complaints that some workers were terminated amid the fast-spreading pandemic – COVID-19, Jammu and Kashmir’s Labour Commissioner on Thursday asked employees working in different organizations to immediately inform the department, if they receive any order of “termination or reduction in salary ” from their respective employers.
“We had already issued an advisory that there should be “no termination or reduction in salary” of any employee who go on leave in the wake of fast spreading pandemic—Covid 19. Now I request all those employees who may or have received any termination or reduction order from their employer to immediately inform the Labour department,” Labour Commissioner Abdul Rashid War told news agency KINS over phone.
War revealed that the department has already received a complaint wherein some Contractual workers have informed that they were terminated by the authorities.
“We are looking into this issue. Likewise we have received another complaint against one of the centrally run organizations and the same has been forwarded to the central government,” he said.
However Labour commissioner told KINS that there are no further complaints received by the department. “We will collect details of any such complaints and will accordingly take the issue with the government and the concerned employers. “We have already issued the helpline numbers and we can also be reached on our email or whatspp numbers,” he maintained.
He appealed that in the backdrop of such a challenging situation, all the employers of public/private shops, establishments, industrial establishments, factories, mines projects and contractors etc in the Union Territory shall extend their cooperation by not terminating their employees particularly, casual or contractual workers from their job or reduce their wages.
It is to mention here that in the Month of March the Labour department had issued an advisory that there should be “no termination or reduction in salary” of any employees who go on leave in the wake of the fast-spreading pandemic – COVID-19.
A circular issued by J&K Labour Commissioner had said “in view of COVID-19 pandemic, there may be incidence that employees/workers are not able to attend to their duties or the employer have no work to be done and therefore may be in process to dispense with the services of these employees, or the employees/workers may be forced to go on leave without wages/salaries in absence of work.”
“The termination of employees from the job or reduction in their wages in this scenario would further deepen the crisis and will not only weaken the financial condition of employees but also hamper the morale to combat their fight with this pandemic. If any worker takes leave, he shall be deemed to be on duty without any consequential deduction in wages for this period,” (KINS)
