Team Herald
PANJIM: As the Drishti lifeguards’ strike entered the fifth day on Saturday, the State government decided to intervene in the matter assuring the striking workers it would hold talks with the recruiting agency Drishti Special Response Services Pvt Ltd to end the crisis.
Tourism Minister Dilip Parulekar called for a meeting with the All India Trade Union Congress (AITUC), representing the lifeguards, at the Secretariat on Saturday to communicate the development. He assured to resolve the crisis within two days as Chief Minister Laxmikant Parsekar will also be consulted on the matter.
“We will find a solution to address the issues raised by lifeguards by holding a joint meeting between the agitators, company and government officials,” Parulekar said emerging from the closed-door meeting with the labour union.
The AITUC leaders, expressing satisfaction over the positive move said they will continue with the strike till the pending demands of the lifeguards are fulfilled. A majority of the lifeguards resorted to the indefinite strike from December 29, 2015 protesting the government’s failure to honour its one-year-old written commitment to re-employ 17 sacked employees, raise monthly salaries from Rs 10,000 to Rs 21,000 and regularise their services.
“We can see few green shoots coming up in this satyagraha. The tourism minister made the first move by calling us for a meeting with him and he is well versed with the subject concerning lifeguards. He has assured to discuss the matter with others to come with a proper conclusion,” AITUC’s general secretary Christopher Fonseca, who headed the delegation to the minister, said.
AITUC convener Suhas Naik said the minister conceded that there was a delay on part of the tourism department to follow up on the promises made by the company when they signed the agreement last year.
