TCP Minister has a point when he demands jobs for locals. Companies here have started on land acquired from Goans and the land was given at a subsidised rate to start industry so that the people of the State could get jobs and better their lot. Today, to say only merit is a criteria for jobs and a Goan birth certificate is of no use is not right.
Under Ex CM Faleiro there was a mandate of 80% reservations for locals in order to claim the State subsidies. This was never pushed and Companies got subsidy, so surely it means 80% Goans were employed, but that is not the case. Something is wrong.
Today, the idea is back in focus with TCP Minister promising industry support but wanting jobs for locals in return. This is easier said than done, but not impossible. There are a few factors that need to be looked at closely and Vijai has an advantage, all the departments needed to come together to ensure jobs for Goans are under him.
From industry point of view, there are some who feel that employing locals is not necessary as it is important to keep merit as the guiding factor. Even if this is true, are Goans given a fair chance at the jobs, well the very fact that advertisements are done outside the State and not in Goa tell a tale.
Some Indians have no issue working 24×7 for 9 months and then going home for 3 months to relax. There are others who will work in a shop 6 am to 11 pm, 365 days of the year. That is their life and enjoyment. Goans by nature are fun loving, relaxed and focus is on different aspects of life and not just work. They have a problem with working more than 8 hours every day of the week, Sunday is a holiday.
Today, most jobs are offered through labour contractors. The contractors insist of 12-hour shifts. This in itself is illegal under the factory and labour laws. Hence Goan labour is not available as they do not want to work 12 hours and why should they? The reason why migrant labour is willing to work 12 hours is because they cut their living cost by renting rooms or should we say beds on a 12-hour shift, 12 hours work, 12 hours sleep. Do Goans need to do this?
The solution to this would be a two pronged action on 12 hours shifts and also action against illegal residences coming up in the villages surrounding the estate which offer any number of such rooms without basic sanitation or electricity. Once this is addressed the Goan employees will have a level playing field and wage rates would be better.
Another aspect is the fact that migrant labour has to be paid in cash, this allows for exploitation, i.e declaring “X” as salary and claiming it from the Company but paying the employee “Y”, i.e a lesser amount. This also means that social security benefits are compromised. Goans could be paid by bank transfer and thus there is no incentive to the contractors. The solution is to make all payment thru bank and that would be in keeping with PM Modi’s inclusiveness drive where everyone has a bank account.
Contract labour is meant to fill job positions which are temporary / seasonal, security guards, etc, in nature. However, now the trend is to fill all positions through contractors. So you have many companies who have employees working on the lines but they are on the payroll of staffing agencies. Another method used including those that swear by merit, is hire and one year later hire a new set. If the employees hired were the best a year ago, what happened for them to be suddenly not worthy to continue? It is clear these methods are used to try and cut employee cost in terms of gratuity or leave benefits, etc. In both cases Goans would not be too interested in such jobs which are not permanent in nature. Would you be interested?
Another area that complicates Goans getting jobs is distance. Due to a poor public transport system the most industrial areas are inaccessible from the far off villages. One option for people who opt to work is shift residence but for many the appalling living conditions for workers close to industrial estates is a disincentive. The solution here would be to have dedicated buses from the villages to the industrial estates at fixed time to coincide with shifts. This way the hassle of getting from Curchorem to Verna via Margao would be energy sapping and expensive. If there was a direct bus at say 7 am to Verna, it would make life a lot easier and Verna Industrial Estate a lot easier. One company in Verna is actually doing this, they have dedicated buses from erstwhile mining areas to their factory in Verna, thus making it good for ladies to travel and similarly there is a bus back.
In summary, given the fact that for a long time there has been no champion for the Goan employees seeking jobs, if Vijai wants to implement the same, he will have to look at the various aspects listed and also a few more which can be figured out after discussions with industry associations. This topic was one of the few that saw a lot of debate at the recently concluded Verna Industries Association’s AGM. In the interest of Goa and Goan youth, I do hope it is taken to its logical conclusion.
(The author prefers to write rather than chat in a balcao)
