BICHOLIM: With the possibility of stopping the salaries by Sesa Goa looming large, the mining workers on Tuesday held a meeting at Sanquelim to make everyone aware of the situation.
The meeting was attended by a large number of workers who were anxious about their future. According to a report last week, the workers were called by the company and told that it might not be able to pay them salaries.
“After we were told last week that this month disbursement of salary to the workers will be difficult, we convened this general body meeting to make this clear to all the workers,” Sesa Workers General Secretary, Ramesh Sinari said.
He said that they have requested the company to pay them salary for at least this month.
“We requested the company to give us the salary this month, but we are not sure if we would get it the next month as the company has expressed its helplessness,” Sinari said.
“After our request some of the workers from outside Goa have got their salaries and others would get it by Friday. We will have another meeting on Thursday with the management where the future course of action would be decided,” Sinari informed.
Meanwhile, a large force of police was deployed at the mining gate Dabdaba in Bicholim. Enraged at this, the workers gathered in large numbers at the gate demanding to know the reason for the deployment of the police.
The workers later marched to the police station to inquire about the situation. As they were unable to get any satisfactory answer from the police, they expressed surprise over the entire action.
“We don’t know whether the police are deployed for the safety of the company or the workers. If we don’t get our salary within the next eight days, we would go and sit at the residence of the chief minister at Sanquelim. It is the responsibility of the government to feed us,” Sesa Workers Union General Secretary Kishore Lokre said.
