VASCO: Mormugao municipal workers are facing a dire situation as their December 2023 wages remain unpaid, despite the calendar advancing towards the last week of January 2024. In response to the prolonged delay, the workers’ body has issued a stern ultimatum, threatening to stage a work boycott starting January 27 if their pending remuneration is not settled by January 25.
While the civic body’s financial situation is in doldrums, municipal chief officer Jayant Tari was transferred four days ago. The new chief officer Dipesh Priolkar is unaware about the situation and paying the wages of the workers will be his biggest challenge. It may be noted that the coffers of MMC have been mostly empty for the past several months with workers being paid their wages after the 15th of the next month.
Workers had brought it to MMC’s attention that delay in payment was causing them to default on scheduled instalments of their loans.
The office bearers of the workers’ body had raised their issues with the Commissioner of Labour. Apart from delay in their regular payment, those who have retired around 15 years ago still have not received the retirement benefits, while the ones who have been working since 15 years are yet to be regularised in the service.
