NT NETWORK
PANAJI
Around 3 lakh workers, employed in different industries all over the state, are losing Rs 30-40 a day after “the government has revised minimum wages for all schedules of employment, and the government is minting around Rs 2 crore approximately every day,” alleged the trade union leaders.
AITUC, BMS, GRKMS INTUC, GMEA, EEU, GBEA, GSKE, and GGEA had convened an emergency meeting in the city on Thursday.
During the meeting, all the trade unions have expressed shock and surprise over the decision of the Goa government ‘to unilaterally change the basic foundation of the minimum wages,’ notified on May 24, 2016.
Every worker is losing 12 per cent on provident fund, 4.81 per cent on gratuity and 8.33 per cent on bonus, thereby “benefiting the government,” Bharatiya Mazdoor Sangh president Puttu Gaonkar.
All India Trade Union Congress general secretary Christopher Fonseca, while branding the Laxmikant Parsekar government as the “government of commission,” said that “the government is bent on making commission on everything and the worst sufferers are the working class people.”
Fonseca said that the action of the government in issuing unilaterally a corrigendum to the notification without holding a meeting of Minimum Wage Advisory Board Committee “is totally illegal, and is in violation of principals of natural justice, and is liable to be struck down, quashed and set aside.”
The trade unions opposed the revision in the minimum wages as “the revision was done in the most unscientific manner without taking into consideration the guidelines laid down by the minimum wages Act and tripartite body of Indian Labour Conference (ILC) and apex court judgment on the issue.”
The unions called upon the government to withdraw corrigendum/errata dated July 14, 2016 issued to the notification dated May 24, 2016 with immediate effect, failing which they would intensify agitation.
Besides, the unions have also jointly called upon the government of Goa to abolish system of contract labour in all government departments.
Convenor of Goa Convention of Workers Suhas Naik said that the Goa convention of workers will join all-India strike on September 2, 2016 to oppose the anti-people policies of the government.
Naik said that “the present attitude of the government towards the working class is totally unacceptable, and the working people have decided to rise up in revolt against such brazen, adamant and negative approach of the state government for effective redressal of their genuine disputes.”
President of Goa Government Employees Association John Nazareth said, “The government had vowed to infuse new blood but it is still employing retired personnel and bolting the promotional chances of workers in line and thus killing the enthusiasm and vigorousness to work.”
President of Bank Employees Union Subhash Naik George said that the notification be withdrawn within 15 days, and termed it as totally illegal.
Gajanand Naik of KTC Union was present on the occasion.
It may be recalled that the government of Goa with a lot of hype and publicity had announced revision in the minimum wages for all schedules of employment @ Rs 307 for unskilled category, Rs 368 for semi-skilled, and Rs 423 for skilled category, treating this revision of wages as basic rates of wages.