Herald: How did you come to get involved with the CCP strike and will the government pay the salary increases demanded?
Francis D Souza: The government is not directly involved with the settlement. It is for the Corporation to deal with the payment of salaries to the staffers. The Mayor Surendra Furtado sent me an SMS saying that this was a matter of great urgency, and explaining the whole situation. I was personally worried that this has come during the Christmas season and decided to do something. I got Chief Secretary R K Srivastava and Director Municipal Administration Elvis Gomes to meet, asking them to speak with the union leaders. But I did not participate in any meeting.
Herald: Did you direct the Mayor to call off the strike?
Francis D Souza: We cannot deal with the situation directly because it is a matter related with the Corporation. There was no assurance given. But since it was Christmas and I did not want Panjim to stink, so I had to intervene in such a manner.
I request the workers not to strike, especially during any festival…strike is the ultimate thing to happen. There are forums to put forth the grievances and only after these are exhausted, strike is the last option. But we must ensure these do not happen in any such case.
