VASCO: The workers union of Western India Shipyard Limited (WISL) on Saturday sought total control of the ailing shipyard which is facing threat of close due to loses.
Addressing a press conference in Vasco on Saturday, Ajitsingh Rane of Goa Trade Unions Confederation (GTUC) charged that the WISL management failed to build healthy relationship with the workers and the accusation made by the company management, holding the workers responsible for shutting down of the yard was false and baseless.
“Though the company management in its public notice has held the workers responsible for the closure of the company, through their agitation and strike, in reality it was due to mismanagement, misdeeds and hidden agenda of the officials, the yard which has a dedicated workforce is facing closer,” he said.
Condemning the decision of WISL management to shut down operations in the yard, he said, “At any cost, the Union will not allow the WISL management to impose its decision to suspend the operations and the workers would continue to report for duty as the notice issued by the management is illegal and not according to the law.”
“We also demand that, if the WISL management is unable to run the operations citing losses, then the WISL management should handover the operation control to the workers union and we are fully confident that we would not only run the operations successfully but we are also ready to take over all the liabilities of the yard and pay all debts pertaining to the yard,” Rane said.
He claimed that many industry players are ready to invest in the company, but since the company management at having 51 percent stake, the investors are unwilling to come forward.
On the recent settlement bid of WISL management by offering four months’ salary to the workers, he said, “First of all, they have released only our salaries and not all our dues. Secondly, without taking the workers into confidence, they prepared one-sided minutes of the meeting.”
showing that the workers agreed for settlement.”
