Team Herald
PONDA: The forest and plantation workers on Sunday decided to start an agitation against the government for “exploiting them” and press for hike in salaries, regularisation of their jobs and PF, ESI benefits.
Towards this end, around 1200 workers gathered at Hanuman hall at Varkhandem in Ponda and formed a union, namely, “All Goa Forest and Plantation Workers” (AGFPW), on Sunday. The newly formed group will be affiliated to Goa Trade Union Confederation (GTUC) led by Adv Ajitsingh Rane.
Addressing the gathering, trade union leader Rane exhorted the workers to stay united and to fall prey to the “divide and rule policy” of the politicians.
On the occasion, a worker Prakash Mauzekar complained that they are paid salaries of Rs 8000 a month and most of them have been kept as daily wage workers despite working for ten to twenty years, when the rule is that after working for just more than 240 days, they are entitled for regular jobs.
“The workers are not getting leave. They are struggling to feed their families and children due to poor salaries. Many of them are employed without hike in salaries; and most of them have crossed the age of 40 to 55 years without getting the benefits of those provided to regular government employees,” he said.
Recently, MLA Nilesh Cambral raised the plight of these workers in the Assembly. Replying to his query, Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar also expressed the need to do something for them to improve their status, but nothing concrete has happened.
Speaking to media, Ajitsingh Rane said he would hold a meeting of the office bearers of North and South Goa workers at the Menezes Bragaza Hall to understand their problems and to find a legal means to fulfil their demands.
“These workers are working in wild life sanctuaries, forests, gardens, plantations etc. They neither have the status of temporary workers nor of the multi task workers. These workers have put in three to twenty years of service; and some of them are nearing retirement,” Rane said adding, “yet they have been deprived of all the benefits that the regular government employees get.”
He said that there are 331 workers having temporary status, but not getting benefits which the regular employees are getting.
“Further, there are around 800 daily wage workers; and I will strive hard to get them temporary status, so that, in future they will be regularised,” he said.
He said that the daily wage workers are working at a meagre wage of Rs 323 per day and the government should hike it to maximum Rs 700 per day and minimum Rs 400 per day.
Rukmini Raut from Kalapur, Santa Cruz, said she would retire in few years after working for 23 years. “My salary is meagre and I have been deprived of all the benefits; and now I am frustrated at not getting the status of a government servant,” she complained.
