Team Herald
PANJIM: Trade unions in Goa staged a demonstration at Azad Maidan, Panjim, to express solidarity with the nationwide all India farmers and workers strike. Protesters carried placards bearing slogans such as ‘Scrap Four Labour Codes’, ‘Resolve Pending Demands of Farmers’ and ‘Stop Privatisation of Public Sector Units’, while chanting against the government’s policies.
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Speaking to the media, All India Trade Union Congress (AITUC) General Secretary Christopher Fonseca accused the central government of undermining the rights of farmers and workers. “Agitations are taking place across the country against the policies of the current government, which is working against farmers and workers,” he stated.
Fonseca criticised the introduction of four new labour codes, describing them as measures aimed at ‘snatching the rights of workers’. He further pointed out that the government had accepted seven key demands of farmers on December 9, 2021, but none had been implemented.
“One of the unfulfilled demands was to increase the minimum support price for crops. Additionally, farmer loans remain unpaid. This failure to act has left farmers and workers deeply agitated,” Fonseca said.
Advocate Suhas Naik, a union leader, highlighted the prolonged enforcement of the Essential Services Maintenance Act (ESMA) on pharmaceutical companies. “For two years, the government has extended ESMA on pharmaceutical manufacturers and refuses to withdraw it, despite repeated appeals,” he said.
Naik asserted that the primary demand of workers is the immediate withdrawal of ESMA, claiming it is being used to prioritise profits over labour rights. He also urged the government to ensure that workers affected by the ban on mining operations in the State are given employment by newly established mining companies.
Additionally, Naik criticised the State government for failing to deliver on promises made to the workers of Goa Dairy and accused the administration of neglecting their welfare.
The Union leader also raised concerns about alleged mistreatment of staff at the Sanjay Centre for Special Education in Porvorim. “Teachers, physiotherapists and psychologists at the centre are being harassed, causing them immense mental stress,” Naik alleged.
Meanwhile, Advocate Raju Mangueshkar brought attention to a ‘cash-for-job scam’, alleging that crores of rupees were involved in corrupt recruitment practices.
