80 SMC workers strike work

BICHOLIM DEC 30
About 80 contract laborers of a mining company in Pale were today arrested after they stopped the work of the company demanding confirmation of their service.
 At about 1.30 pm today the about 80 workers from V M Salgaonkar Mining Company (SMC) at Vagus Pale stopped the work of the company. The workers were demanding to stop the contract system prevalent in the company and demanded regularization of their services.
 On a tip off the police went to the site and arrested the agitating workers. Later in the evening the workers refused to come out of the police station despite of a bail being granted, till their problems were solved.
 The Pale MLA, Pratap Gawas resolve the problem after he assured the workers that their problems would be solved with the help of the chief minister’s intervention.
 Speaking to media the legal advisor of the workers, Adv Ajitsingh Rane told that the workers had been agitating since last one year and their demands were not fulfilled. ‘Today the workers stopped the work of the company and courted arrest’ Adv Rane said adding ‘the CM has assured us that he would look into the matter and solve the issue.’
Guru Parab an agitating worker told the media that there are about 102 workers working on contract since last 11 years. ‘We are not given any benefits neither the company has taken any step in the interest of the workers.’