PERNEM
Key projects in Pernem taluka are being rocked by protests by workers over delayed wages.
After agitations by workers at the Mopa airport construction site, it was now the turn of the workers at the Ayush hospital site to protest over pending wages
A number of labourers employed at the Ayush hospital construction site in Dhargal have complained that they are not being paid on time.
Some labourers on Monday inquired about their pending wages and they complained that some of them were threatened and one of their workers was allegedly assaulted.
Labourers reported the matter to Pernem police and a police team rushed to the site to defuse the tension and resolve the issue.
The aggrieved labourers complained that there are hundreds of labourers employed at the site under different contractors.
They claimed that some contractors have collected the money from the company but have not paid their labourers for a long time.
When asked to comment on the pending wages, a company official replied: "It's the contractor's responsibility to pay their labourers, not ours. Our job is to pay the contractors and we do that on time.”
“The contractors present the bill for their work and we hand it over to senior officials. But some contractors after receiving the money do not distribute among the labourers on time.”
When the matter was brought to his notice, union minister Shripad Naik assured to immediately look into the matter.
