SANGUEM: The employees of Handloom Centre, run and operated under the aegis of Goa Handicraft Rural and Small Scale Industries Corporation at Wadem-Sanguem, have urged the government to regularise their services or in the alternative absorb in the Labour Society so that they will atleast get some government benefits in their old age.
Working for last over 20 years, the employees lamented over the failure to consider their demands for regularisation of their services making them suffer to a great extent in terms of regular income and job safety.
Gaurita Gaonkar who has been working at the centre since 1998 informed that they have been paid a monthly salary of around Rs 6000 which she claims to be hardly sufficient for her monthly home expenditure.
“We made several representations to the government including the Chief Minister Dr Pramod Sawant but the issue continues to remain unresolved”, she said.
Another employee Daya Kalekar informed that they have been demanding from the Government either to regularise their services or absorb them in the Labour Society as they have put most years of their life in working at the Handicraft Centre at Wadem village.
“Some of the employees are about to attain retirement age and we wonder what would be our future and that of our families if the government fails to regularise our services or absorb us into the Labour Society”, she questioned.
Kalekar informed that at the last meeting the Chief Minister had assured to look into our issue and that modalities would be worked out into our employment status after the pandemic Corona virus. However nothing has happened. Besides the pandemic is also not showing any signs of getting eradicated, lamented Kalekar.
The Handicraft Centre at Wadem which was basically opened to provide jobs to the local youth has twelve employees who are working on regular basis at the Centre since 1998.
The centre produces cotton cloth which is later supplied to government departments as that of police, electricity and other departments which requires uniforms, informed Kalekar.
Kalekar also complained of delay caused in the supply of raw material by the government and this hampers the work process at the Centre. The raw material required to run the centre is supplied by the government and at times there is huge delay in supplying the raw material making the production suffer, added Kalekar.
Much recently, South Goa Mahila President Savitri Kavlekar had visited the centre and had assured to look into the grievances and problems faced by the employees working at the Wadem Handicraft Centre.
