More than 50,000 casual and daily wage workers employed across various Jammu and Kashmir government departments staged a protest in Srinagar on Tuesday, 22 September, demanding wage enhancement and regularisation of their services. The demonstration was timed to coincide with the ongoing Jammu and Kashmir Legislative Assembly session, where temporary employment issues are currently under discussion.

Who led the protest and what they demanded

The protest was organised by the Jammu and Kashmir Casual/Daily Wagers Forum and led by its President, Sajad Ahmed Parray. Workers from multiple government departments gathered to press for two core demands: a hike in wages and formal regularisation of their employment status, both of which they say have remained unresolved for a long time.

The protesting workers urged the Union Territory government to take concrete and immediate steps to address their concerns, arguing that repeated assurances have not translated into action.

What the J&K government has said

The Jammu and Kashmir government has informed the Legislative Assembly that it is examining a uniform regularisation framework covering daily-rated workers, casual labourers, seasonal staff, and other contractual and need-based employees. A committee constituted in March 2025 is reportedly assessing the humanitarian, legal, and financial dimensions of such a move, with consultations across concerned departments still ongoing before any final policy decision is made.

The government has also assured phased regularisation of all daily wagers across the Union Territory, though a concrete timeline has not been announced.

Scale of the issue and departmental dependence

According to available statistics, over 50,000 daily wagers are currently employed across various J&K government departments. Ground reports indicate that these workers bear a disproportionately large share of the workload in critical departments, including the Public Health Engineering Department (PHED), the Flood and Irrigation Department, and the Power Development Department (PDD). Officials acknowledge that several of these departments would be severely hampered without the contribution of daily wage staff.

Broader context

The timing of the protest is significant. With the J&K Legislative Assembly now in session following the Union Territory's first elected government in over half a decade, workers appear to be leveraging the political moment to amplify pressure. The issue of contractual and temporary employment in J&K government departments is not new — successive administrations have grappled with the legal and fiscal burden of regularisation, which carries long-term salary and pension implications for the exchequer.

This is the latest in a series of demonstrations by J&K daily wagers seeking a resolution to employment uncertainties that have persisted across multiple governments and administrative arrangements.

With the regularisation committee's report still awaited and no final policy date set, the workers' push is unlikely to ease until a concrete framework is officially notified.