MEDWA claimed that they won’t allow any move of barge owners employing crew members from other states and further demanded that the 90 percent Goans should be given employment in the barge operations.
Speaking to newsmen, MEDWA general secretary Anthony Lobo said, “Though majority of the crew members, who were working on the barges and were retrenched after mining ban did not receive the financial package provided by the state government under financial aid scheme to mining dependents. However, still the barge crew members were waiting for the commencement of barge operations with the belief that the barge owners would fulfil their promise and would give first preference to old crew. Now we have received information that few barge owners have brought crew members from Bengal and employed them in their barges. Earlier we had working tradition of 16 days work and 14 days off, but these crew members from Bengal are made to work the whole month, which is against our tradition and should be stopped immediately”
MEDWA general secretary Pedro Godinho said, “We demand that 90 percent of Goans should be given employment in the barge operations. Those barge owners having financial problems should not be allowed to restart operations/or get into the business. The barges, which are operating, should submit a list of crew members and each member should be given an appointment letter, failing which we will be forced to stop the barge operations.”
