Herald: Was it fair on the part of the lifeguards and AITUC to strike work when the tourism season was at its peak and thousands of tourists flock to beaches?
Christopher Fonseca: The government is the principal employer as the Tourism Minister signed an agreement with the Labour Ministry on November 21, 2014 assuring that the 17 sacked employees will be reinstated within 10 days (of signing the agreement). They had also announced to work out a road map spelling out service conditions of the lifeguards. But we have not seen any tangible action thereafter forcing us to come on the streets. We have issued a strike notice and waited for a month as we are sensitive to the issue. We made all efforts to ensure our matter is resolved without going on strike, and for that we have moved to all the authorities including chief minister’s office. When there were no signs whatsoever, we had to resort to indefinite strike with a heavy heart.
Herald: Drishti Special Response Services Pvt Ltd has alleged that the labour union has instigated the strike while also terming it as ‘illegal and unjustifiable’. How does AITUC react to this?
Fonseca: As far as Drishti or the government is concerned, they can do their worst but we will do our best. Drishti officials had previously met us on the issue and today (Saturday) we briefed the Tourism Minister (Dilip Parulekar) about our demands. We would want to avoid the strike but it does not only encompass the recruiting agency, it also involves the government because it has entered into an agreement last year. When a minister signs on an agreement, he represents the government. Any stand they later take is inexcusable. People of Goa know that we are true to cases we take up and are slow to make any allegations against anyone.
Herald: What will be the future course of action if the talks with the government and the company fail?
Fonseca: It is very simple. Our satyagraha will gather momentum. We are not fly by night operators. The satyagraha will intensify with its own momentum. Various tourism stakeholders like shacks owners association, taxi operators and some largest restaurateurs have supported our campaign. This is a struggle difficult to douse.
Herald: Do you think that government has always failed to heed to the needs of the workers in any sector?
Fonseca: That is in their nature. The governments in the State have often ignored reality, refused to take cognizance of people’s struggle. But only when the issues become unmanageable, they take steps to resolve them. We have learnt this lesson all through our struggle period for many years.
