Team Herald
PANJIM: Jennifer Monserrate, Minister for Labour and Employment; Blaise Costabir, chairman of CII Goa Council; Shrinivas V Dempo, past chairman, CII Western Region and over 30 members of CII in a virtual meeting discussed the issue concerning the movement of labour force out of Goa in the coming months, its effect on the functioning of the Industry and the need to mitigate this shortage with necessary amendments in the Act.
Members expressed the difficulty and constrain the Industry was facing due to mandating payment of wages while industry was still battling the situation of survival and sought Govt help on the subject. Given that the Industry is already reeling, with uncertainty and lack of cash flow, CII recommended that the revision of DA rates in wages be deferred at the moment and not be enforced from April 1, 2020.
Costabir also informed that CII Goa would write separately to the Dy CM and Minister Factories and Boilers addressing the need for extension in number of working hours in the Industry from 8 hours to 12 hours in lines with that of Gujarat notification and that the extra hours should be proportionately paid and should not be treated as overtime. CII Recommended that the need for amendments to the Act, to consider 12 hours a day, 72 hours per week and accordingly for monthly and quarterly basis.
CII also presented the issue faced by the tourism and hotel industry, as tourism is in for a long haul with little or no hope of income seen for the next 6-8 months, sought government help to intervene and handhold the sector as regards payment of wages by the employer to the employees as this was not sustainable by law and neither sustainable under Disaster Management Act or Epidemic Diseases Act.
