PANJIM: In a major blow to the job prospect of hundreds of striking workers, Chief Minister Laxmikant Parsekar on Tuesday clarified that the Goa Recruitment and Employment Society (GRES) recruits are not government employees and hence their services cannot be regularised.
However, Parsekar informed the House that these workers could be absorbed and regularized under the Goa Human Resource Development Corporation (GHRDC) if they approach the corporation. “The government does not create contract jobs. Those appointed through GRES are not government employees and hence cannot be regularized in service,” Parsekar said.
“The BJP-led government is very much concerned about the grievances of common man and hence assures the workers to regularize them once observed through the corporation,” he said replying to the question raised by Congress MLA Vishwajit Rane, who sought to know whether the striking workers would be regularized in service.
“Government has been assuring the striking workers that they would be regularized. But is there a provision and if yes how long will the process take,” Rane questioned.
Defending the government, the CM said that it has already assured the striking workers that they would be absorbed through the corporation if they approach it. “Several workers have approach the corporation and have been accordingly absorbed,” he said.
“However, there are few who are influencing these workers to strike and provoking them against the government. In such cases, we cannot do anything,” Parsekar claimed. Over hundreds of workers – security guards, 108 employees and other workers – are striking for over a month now, demanding regularization of their services.
