PERNEM CONTRACTORS' PLAINT
- Labourers from Karnataka, Bihar and West Bengal, demand charge almost Rs 900-1,000 per day.
- There's no govt control on these wages and Goa has become a 'Dubai' for these migrants.
- Local labourers are paid only Rs 400-500, while women labourers get a meagre Rs 250 per day.
THE GOAN Network
PERNEM: Accusing migrant labourers of looting Goans by demanding high daily wages, a group of private contractors have asked the government to bring in a legislation to regulate the wages of these labourers.
This demand was made at a news conference by a group of private contractors consisting of Hari Parsekar, Avinash Jadhav, Dilip Jadhav and Chandra Haldankar at Agarwaddo-Pernem.
“Migrant labours have been doing various jobs like masonry, carpentry, painting and sewer cleaning works,” said Parsekar.
“These labourers, mainly from Karnataka, Bihar and West Bengal, demand high wages for these jobs and charge almost Rs 900-1,000 per day. These rates are simply not affordable to Goans,” Parsekar added.
Parsekar alleged that the daily rates are fixed at a meeting with contractors at Candolim and Mapusa. These rates, which are double or even triple in comparison with local labourers, are then applied all over Pernem taluka. There is no government control on these wages and Goa has become a “Dubai” for these outsiders,” added Parsekar.
“Local labourers are paid only Rs 400-500, while women labourers get a meagre Rs 250 per day. If a Goan woman goes to a factory for work, her income will not be more than Rs 200 per day.”
Avinash Jadhav insisted that the government should take steps to control the steep wages demanded by migrant labourers.
“If rate goes beyond Rs 300, the workers union should raise their voice and protest."
