PONDA: Three companies at the Kundaim Industrial Estate are likely to shut down their operations. Around 600 workers, who are on verge of losing employment, submitted a joint memorandum to the CM asking to intervene and save their jobs. The workers, mostly from Khorlim and Usgao, have also asked the CM to look into their long pending salary issues.
The workers told Herald that just like the Zuari Agro Chemicals at Sancoale, the government should intervene and revive the companies and save the livelihood of their family and children.
The workers employed with three units at Kundaim – Goa Invescat Ltd, Revati Synthetic Pvt and Hindustan Unilever Ltd – are terrified and scared of losing their only livelihood if these units shut their doors.
The workers have mentioned the details of situation in each of the above said units.
According to workers the Goa Invescast Ltd has not paid the salary of their workers for the last eight months, they claimed in the memorandum. “Currently there are 30 permanent workers and 25 staff workers. Besides this, there are many numbers of temporary and contract workers whose salaries have not been paid. The production has been stopped for the last four months. The management and owners are not responding to the workers’ requests despite repeated attempts. This has put the financial security of the workers at risk as they are finding it difficult to sustain their livelihood and support the needs of the families,” said a source quoting the memorandum.
Revati Synthetic Pvt Ltd has suddenly halted production for the past four months. There are 110 workers and only 10 among them are permanent and others are daily wage workers who were soon retrenched after the unit stopped production. The 10 permanent workers were paid salaries for two months but have not received any payment for the last two months.
The company had only informed the workers verbally without giving a notice in writing.
The salary issue of 10 workers is pending with the Assistant Labour Commissioner with little progress.
According to workers of Hindustan Unilever Ltd Kundaim, this company is owned by a Multinational Company and there has been no effort for production for the past over two months and the employees say that this indicates that it will be closed. This unit has 152 permanent works along with 50 other contract workers. The threat of closure has brought the employees anxiety and tension.
As they found no solution to their problems all the affected workers of the three units have signed a joint memorandum asking CM to intervene and ensure a fair, transparent and
democratic settlement in each of the cases.
The memorandum has demanded that govt ask the Goa Invescast and Revati Synthetic management to pay all workers’ pending dues.
The memorandum has asked the government to ensure production continues at the Hindustan Unilever and also explore possibility of production of other goods and prevention of closing down its shutters.
