PANJIM: The Corporation of the City of Panjim daily wage labourers’ strike was called off after a deal was struck between the workers and the Corporation, sources from the Mayor’s office said.
This development has raised questions whether the CCP is leaving itself open to blackmail in the future.
After taking a tough stand for a few days and outsourcing garbage to rule out the blackmail by the striking workers and professionalize garbage collection, the Corporation gave in on the eve of Christmas and agreed to take them back.
This decision was arrived at after a meeting between Mayor Surendra Furtado, Urban Development Minister Francis D’ Souza, CCP Commissioner Sanjit Rodrigues and striking employees. Prior to that, Santa Cruz MLA Atanasio Monserrate met the striking workers along with his corporators to sort out the issue given that the workers are mostly from Chimbel and Camarabhat. Both these areas fall within his Santa Cruz and his wife’s Taleigao constituencies. However, citizens feel that vote bank politics has put the CCP on the back foot by accommodating short term benefits.
