Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, Feb 4: In support of their demands, massive demonstrations were held today outside various offices of the Life Insurance Corporation of India (LIC) across Jammu and Kashmir.
The protests were organized under the banner of the Northern Zone Insurance Employees’ Association (NZIEA), Srinagar Division, as part of preparations for the nationwide strike called by Central Trade Unions, Samyukt Kisan Morcha, public sector insurance companies, banks and other organisations, involving nearly 25 crore workers and farmers.
Addressing the gathering at the LIC Divisional Office Cell (D O Cell), Jammu, Comrade Pawan Gupta, Divisional Secretary of NZIEA, said that the four newly introduced labour codes pose a serious threat to the working class.
He warned that these codes would effectively snatch away the legally guaranteed eight-hour workday, forcing workers to work for twelve hours or more under the policies of what he termed a “pro-corporate government.”
Gupta further stated that the Minimum Wages Act, 1948, which ensured statutory minimum wages for workers, has been diluted under the new labour codes.
He alleged that minimum wages would now be fixed at the discretion of state or central governments, undermining workers’ rights and job security.
They warned that greater foreign control would prioritise profits over public welfare and could hinder the orderly growth of the insurance industry.
The union maintained that foreign capital can never substitute domestic savings.
Among those who addressed the gathering included Rajesh Gupta and Rajesh Kumar (Joint Secretaries), Dinesh Kumar Sharma (vice president), Raj Kumar (treasurer), Priya Sharma, Sushma Jamwal, Shunali Gupta, Neeraj Bhagat, Harkesh Kumar Singh, Kishore Lal, R P Singh and Karan Kumar.
In Srinagar, the programme was led by Syed Aadil Imam, president NZIEA Srinagar Division, along with Amarjeet Singh, Ajaz Ahmad Dar, Rohulla Fayaz, Gulshan Singh, M Y Koul and others.
Demonstrations were also organised at Samba, R S Pura, Udhampur, Rajouri, Doda, Poonch and Kathua, with local leaders coordinating the protests at their respective centres.
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