TEAM HERALD
PANJIM: The Corporation of the City of Panaji (CCP) Employees Union has extended by eight days the deadline given to CCP to revise workers daily wages and regularise the workers, failing which it will restore to indefinite strike. The earlier 21-day notice period ended on Monday.
“We are giving CCP eight more days to revise the daily wages as demanded by the employees union. We will continue the collection of garbage during these eight days,” union leader Ajitsingh Rane told media persons.
Rane threatened not to allow any garbage collection during the strike period. “If the garbage collection is outsourced during the strike period, we will not allow those workers to carry out the work. If CCP can pay more money to outsource the work, then why can’t they increase the wages?” he said.
Currently CCP daily wage workers are paid the minimum wage of Rs 221. The employees have been demanding that this be increased to Rs 490, which following the government’s intervention was slashed down to Rs 409 in December last. CCP, however, claims they face a lack of funds due to which the wages cannot be increased.
The government had instructed CCP to standardise the wages.
CCP proposed to increase the wages of garbage collectors to Rs 300 and of other workers to Rs 260, which was rejected by the union.
“CCP is trying to divide the workers by giving different wages. The government in December had instructed that wages be standardised,” Swati Kerkar said.
