Team Herald

MARGAO: Goan Seamen Association of India executive committee has finally decided to move the courts against the Seamen Welfare Fund Society for stopping the ex-gratia payment that was made to retired seamen or their widows.

It may be recalled that the retired seamen were paid Rs 200 per month as ex-gratia by the Seamen Welfare Fund Society and it issued a notice to all seamen to sign for a one time settlement by end of August as from September 1 the ex-gratia would stop. They were offered only Rs 12,500 as one time settlement.

The Goan Seamen Association of India had taken up this matter with the authorities and Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar had promised to take up the matter with the Union government and resolve it.

However Manohar Parrikar’s illness affected finding a solution to the seafarers’ problem and the matter remained unresolved and finally the executive committee has now decided to move the courts.

Spokesperson for the association Dixon Vas has appealed to members to visit their office at Madel and sign the individual petitions kept in the office and next week the petition would be filed in the court.