Team Herald
MARGAO: Margao Municipal Council at a special meeting today decided to recommend the regularization of services of the daily wage workers who have worked for more than four and a half years provided they are below the age of 60. No one above 60 can be employed by the council.
Chairperson Babita Prabhudessai said the Chief Minister met all the councils and requested them to prepare a list of daily wage workers who had worked for 5 years so that their services could be regularized.
She said a committee consisting of Director of Municipal Administration along with chairpersons of Mapusa, Ponda and Vasco municipal councils and the Mayor of Panjim was formed to decide upon the regularization of daily wage workers and that every council was asked to submit a list of such workers who have worked for more than 5 years.
Accordingly, she said the meeting was called to decide upon the matter as some councils supported the regularization of daily wage workers services while others objected to it.
Although Raju Shirodkar tried to raise the issue of daily wage workers being irregular in attendance and even said that some of them had not been seen at all, Dr. Prabhudessai urged that no injustice should be done to those who work so hard.
She admitted that there were some daily wage workers who worked very hard even though they were aged 60 but regretted that nothing could be done for them. Councillor Damodar Naik pointed out the list also had names of persons who were dead. However, Dr. Prabhudessai said the list was prepared on March 31 and hence there could be such discrepancies, She requested all the councilors to bring to the administration’s notice such mistakes.
Councillor Tito Cardoso’s suggestion to prepare a proper profile with photographs of the workers while submitting the list to the committee, was unanimously accepted and councilors were asked to point out any discrepancies latest by Monday.
Following the issue being raised by some councilors the chairperson directed the administration to ask the Provident Fund Consultant to get a list of all employers whose salaries are deducted for provident fund and also get details of how much had been accumulated in the provident fund account.
It was also decided to add the names of the dependants of the original daily wage workers who are now working as daily wage workers.
While there was an attempt to discuss the wages paid to the daily wage workers, discussion was not allowed as it was pertaining to a totally different matter not on the agenda.
