MARGAO
After waging a sustained battle for their regularization as employees of the Public Works Department, the 1,200 beleaguered employees keep their fingers crossed whether the Lok Adalat will work out a solution to their long standing dispute.
For, the Supreme Court has sent an appeal filed by the 350 employees against an order of the High Court to the Lok Adalat to explore the possibility of a compromise formula to redress the issue.
Leader of the beleaguered workers, Sriram Raiturkar told the media at the Lok Adalat complex at Margao that the 1,200 workers have been fighting for justice since the year 2003, but the PWD is yet to regularize them on par with PWD employees.
He further said though the High Court in an order passed in 2014 had issued directions to the government to take these employees as and when vacancies arise in the department, the government has failed to provide jobs to these employees in the last 20 years.
“All these workers were working under private contractors engaged by the PWD, but since they had complained that they were not paid properly by the contractors, a society was formed in 2003 by the government. In 2013, these employees were given the temporary status with PWD pay scale. They, however, were not regarded as employees at par with the regular PWD employees and were denied all leave and other benefits”, Raiturkar said.
He added: “These employees had to knock the doors of the High Court after the government did nothing to protect their interests. The petition, however found no favour with the High Court, but the employees have now filed an appeal before the Supreme Court”.
With the Supreme Court sending the matter to the Lok Adalat to explore the possibility of working out a solution to the dispute with the PWD, the beleaguered employees hope that the PWD will take a stand beneficial to their interest.
“We are having the next hearing on Saturday. If no compromise is worked out and a amicable solution is evolved, the matter will again go back to the Supreme Court”, he added.
