MARGAO: The Supreme Court’s verdict on ‘equal pay for equal work’ has given a ray of hope for the daily wage workers of the Margao Municipal Council (MMC).
It may be recalled that the apex court held that the principle of ‘equal pay for equal work’ has to be made applicable to those engaged as daily wagers, casual and contractual employees who perform the same duties as the regulars. Terming the denial of equal pay for equal work as “exploitative enslavement”, “oppressive, suppressive” and “coercive”, the apex court had said that in a welfare state, the principle has to be extended to temporary employees as well.
The municipal councils and Public Works Department (PWD) have the maximum number daily wage workers, who have been reported to be doing the maximum job with minimum allowances. The Margao Municipal Council has over 85 workers, who come under the category, which will benefit from the apex court order. Speaking to Herald MMC Chief Officer Yashwant Tawde said, “According to the agreement, the MMC provides all the benefits to these daily wage workers on par with the State Government employees”.
Chief Officer further said, “We have not received any circular of the Supreme Court order and if the same does come with Government approval, we will implement the same”.
It is learnt that the daily wage workers engaged by the MMC in collecting garbage draw a little over Rs 6,000 to 7,000 every month compared to the permanent employees, who draw double the salary each month. The daily wage workers are reportedly subjected to “harassment” and fear losing job during medical emergencies.
The Shadow Council of Margao has welcomed the Supreme Court judgement “On Equal Work-Equal Pay”.
“It is indeed a welcome judgement in the interest of the daily wage workers. Several daily wage workers have been employed by government department and are working on daily wages for decades together without any benefits as compared to the fixed employees in the same department,” Savio Coutinho, SCM president said in a press release.
Raising the issue of the MMC workers on daily wages, Savio said, “The Margao Municipal Council has several workers employed on daily wages for garbage collection, and while fixed workers enjoy all the possible allowances and benefits, the daily wage workers get none, not even extra wages for working on public holidays.”
“These workers are literally subjected to blackmail by their superiors, with threats to be removed from services,” he alleged.
“There is yet another form of such exploitation through a society, where contract workers are employed in the PWD” SCM president further alleged.
The SCM has demanded that the concerned departments now immediately deliver justice to these employees, which has been long overdue.
