VASCO: Goa Shipyard Kamdar Ekvott (GSKE), a union of workers employed at Goa Shipyard limited (GSL) on Friday warned of severe action against GSL management and its officers from the HRA department alleging that officers from the HRA department are coercing the administrative staff and other workers to sign blank ‘declaration’ forms and have been threatening the innocent employees of punishment if they refuse.
“GSKE strongly condemns the unfair labour practices adopted by the GSL management. The ‘declaration’ form states that the two Unions have signed a ‘Memorandum of Understanding’ (MOU) and that the workers who are not members of these Unions are willing to accept this MoU and all the terms and conditions mentioned in the said MoU. What has shocked the workmen is that the terms and conditions of the said MoU have not been disclosed anywhere. But the declaration attempts to entice the workmen to accept the said MoU without knowing the contents of it,” General Secretary GSKE Ignatius Pereira said.
“The workers were shocked to see ‘declaration’ forms kept in the time office wherein the employees of GSL are required to sign the same,” Pereira claimed.
and accept in advance, even before the signing of the final wage settlement, a wage revision purportedly signed by two Unions from GSL. Both the Unions mentioned in the ‘declaration’ are minority unions with no following at all,” Pereira stated.
He said that the senior officers from the HRA department were observed approaching individual administrative staff with an attempt to coerce them to sign the said ‘declaration’ and warning them of severe consequences if they refused.
“We condemn the deceitful act of the GSL management of forcing upon the GSL workers a bad and unreasonable wage revision that shall cause severe loss of wages to all the employees. Since workers union refused to accept unreasonable wage revision, the GSL management has stooped very low in attempting to hoodwink the GSL workers to accepting a wage revision without disclosing the contents of the said revision,” Pereira said.
