State workers to join Sept 7 stir
HERALD REPORTER
PANJIM, SEPT 4
The Goa Convention of Workers has decided to participate in the nation-wide strike on September 7 as a protest against rising prices of foodgrains and essential commodities.
The strike was announced by the All India Trade Union Congress (AITUC), Goa State Committee at a press briefing on Saturday.
AITUC General Secretary Christopher Fonseca told reporters that the fight against the government would continue. “We will fight…we will not spare the government as the workers are being exploited,” he said.
The strike will take effect at 9 am on Tuesday continuing the entire day starting from opposite the Panjim KTC bus stand for a mammoth morcha and rally thereafter near Customs House.
The briefing was also attended by members representing other departments who too have decided to join the strike comprising a total of 9,000 to 10,000 workers. “Banks on this day will remain closed,” said the bank leader Subhash Naik.
The members released a list of demands, which included raising minimum wages to all daily wage, casual and contract workers to Rs 300, ban contract labour employment in all government, public, private and commercial establishments and services in permanent job operations and ensure regularisation of the services of the workers on the roles of the respective establishments/services, etc.
The union also alleged that certain cabinet ministers were appointing people from their respective constituencies into government jobs. “This is a clarion call against the government and a struggle to hit back and force the government to control and roll back sky rocketing prices of foodgrains and essential commodities including prices of petroleum products, cooking gas, kerosene, diesel, etc,” Fonseca further said.
The attitude of the Central government of not abiding by the Supreme Court directions on distributing outsized stocks of food grains to poor has also been criticized by the members.
