The party in government should ideally be above board and think of the larger interests of the State and its people. Though parties are elected by committed or converted voters, once in government, they have to forget the electoral battles and ensure that government reaches out to all people across party affiliations, especially the meritorious and deserving.
Telling party workers that they and not others, have been most benefited under the party regime, is not an encouraging signal to meritorious candidates who are either on the employment exchange roster or those recruited on contract through the Goa Recruitment and Employees Society. Therefore, fairness and merit are and should be part and parcel of government recruitment lexicon and principles.
Secondly, once recruited, recruitment rules should be fair, reasonable and within the parameters of the Constitution. Alleging injustice to contract workers recruited by the society, a Trade Union body has come forward to constitute a union for government employees recruited on contract through the Goa Recruitment and Employees Society. The society which has been registered under the Societies Act in its previous avatar was called the Goa Labour Contract Society, and in future it is proposed to be christened under the pompous name of Goa Human Resources Development Corporation.
The Trade Union has raised some fundamental issues about the Goa Recruitment and Employees Society alleging that those employed under this society are reeling under petty salaries of Rs 4,900 gross, claiming it is net salary; made to work in other talukas thus forcing them to spend most of the money on travel; have to work on continuous shifts and in one case alleged assault of one employee by the society official who warned him not to file a case and to compromise the matter.
There are at least 1200 such contract or casual workers recruited through the society and employed at government and semi-government institutions such as dams, Goa Medical College, Kala Academy, Dental college, PWD etc. Some have worked for 13 years without being regularized, claims the union. Even if the allegations are true in some measure, the question that arises is despite the Supreme Court judgment how can those who have worked for 240 days not be regularized? Despite ban on ad hoc recruitment by the Supreme Court, how can these employees be forced to get extension orders every six months? There are allegations that the society claims the salaries of these employees from the government and does not pay contract employees for four months, raising questions whether the society officials siphon off the accruing interest. Lastly, they have been warned through an order that they cannot take up any other work or join trade unions to protect their interests. The labour leaders have rightly argued that under Art 19(1) (c) of the Indian Constitution the right to form associations and trade union is a fundamental right and a human right.
While it appears that the business class is welcomed with open arms and laws are bent, reinterpreted or amended in the name of boosting Gross Domestic Product and promoting industry in the free-market capitalism era, workers are not only being ground under the heavy hand of the private sector, but also under government, which is perceptibly denying even fundamental rights of workers, leading to their exploitation.
The biggest regret of the collapse of communism is that capitalism and neo-liberalism is allowed to run riot, across the world and even in a country like India where for decades socialism was built into the political fabric. Today there does not seem to be an iota of guilt over violation of rights of workers and failure to ensure their welfare, even within the Government and it is only the street fighting left party unions which are protesting assiduously for the cause of the workers after governments have abdicated their responsibility.
The government has to formulate clear cut policies for the recruitment, skill upgradation, welfare and betterment of the working class whether private or government. But above all it has to uphold the constitutional and human rights and Supreme Court judgements to provide an example to the private sector of being a model employer.
