It is unfortunate that the government which is showing concern towards its employee fraternity so much so that it never fails to offer Dearness Allowance to its workers as and when need arises but when it comes to treat the people working in unorganized sector, the same government fails to ensure fairness because still there are several private institutions in J&K exploiting their employees like the way the employers used to ‘abuse’ their workers during the time when slavery was prevalent.
One can say that in J&K, one of the most pressing issues that remain largely unaddressed is the exploitation of workers in the unorganized sector. To understand the problem substantially, take the example of staff of most of the private educational institutions in the region. This exploited lot is subjected to meager wages despite having high qualifications and hard work. The gap between their earnings and those in more secure government jobs is colossal, yet no one seems to be asking why.
Isn’t it an eye opener that highly qualified teachers with advanced degrees, decades of experience, and commendable skills absorbed in private institutions are paid salaries that are, in some cases, even lower than those received by the menial staff in government establishments. If one looks at things more closely, there are cases where private school teachers are even getting lesser salaries than the drivers and other staff members doing petty jobs in the very same school, making it necessary for the people helming the affairs of the Union Territory to take cognizance and ensure dignity to one and all.
Now the question is that how can the government allow such anomalies to persist? It is difficult to justify a situation where individuals with the same qualifications and the same nature of work are remunerated so unequally. If public sector employees are entitled to regular pay increments, including dearness allowances (DA), why the workers in the unorganised sector have been subjected to prejudice as there is no such provision?
The example given in this write-up is just a tip of an iceberg because there are so many fields where people are being paid meager perks despite their exploitation of all kinds. The government should ponder over the matter and come out with a comprehensive policy and enact laws barring all from exploiting workers of the unorganized sector.
Rather, it is better to work in a direction eliminate the entire unorganized sector by strict rules and their implementation in letter and spirit ensuring adequate salaries and other rights to one and all working in public, private or government sector.
