The 108 Ambulance Service Employees Union accused GVK EMRI, contractors to the government’s emergency service, of non implementation of labour laws, non registration of the undertaking as a contractor and non registration as a motor transport undertaking. Sagar Prabhudessai, union general secretary, in his letter to the Labor Commissioner Fatima Rodrigues, alleged that workers are not paid overtime and “they are not granted leave as per law, and the transfer policy is formulated only to harass workers.” The union also claimed that the management of GVK has not registered the service as a motor transport undertaking as per the Motor Transport Workers Act, 1961.
The union demands that direction be issued to the management to register the company as an establishment, as a motor transport undertaking, and implement labor laws and called for “payment of equal wages on par with Directorate of Health Services employees under equal pay for equal service.”
Talking about the response, Hrudaynath Shirodkar, Goa in-charge of the Bharatiya Mazdoor Sangh said Rodrigues listened to the employees and promised to issue notices to the authorities concerned.
Also showing support to the cause of the EMT specialists and drivers of the emergency service, St Andre MLA Vishnu Wagh lent his support to them adding that he would raise the issue during the five day budget session of Goa Assembly next month.
