Team Herald

VASCO: The union representing the workers at the Goa Shipyard Limited (GSL) has threatened to agitate if the shipyard management makes any unlawful and backdoor attempts to force a wage revision on the employees.

According to Vice-President of Goa Shipyard Kamdar Ekvott (GSKE) Cyril Fernandes, the GSKE members during an emergency general body meeting unanimously resolved to resist any attempt by the GSL management to sign a wage revision through the back door with a minority union when there are recognised unions such as GSKE in the yard enjoying majority membership.  

They have demanded that the Labour Commissioner (Central) at Vasco should not register any such wage revision settlement arrived at between the GSL management and any minority union without holding a secret ballot in the yard to test the majority of the Unions. 

Cyril Fernandes said GSL officers and supervisors have last month received their revised wages with a net pay increase of over 30 per cent. 

“The expectation amongst the general workers of GSL is therefore of a minimum increase anything above 30 per cent. However, there were strong rumours in the shipyard that the GSL management was using the services of a minority union to push on the workmen a wage revision of only 20 per cent,” he said.

“We demand that the Labour Commissioner (Central) at Vasco should not register any such wage revision settlement arrived at between the GSL management and any minority union without holding a secret ballot in the yard to test the majority of the unions. We also condemn the GSL management for threatening the junior employees with suspension and disciplinary action for raising their voice for a fair wage agreement. We also demand that the GSL management should offer the workers fair wages in view of the steady profits made by the company every year,” Fernandes said.

GSKE president Subhash Naik Jorge said, “GSL workers will not settle for anything less than the minimum wages at the lowest level of Rs 21,000, minimum fitment in existing basic of 25 per cent.”

 and increase in allowance by 35 per cent as given to the officers and supervisors and anything below is unacceptable,” he added.