PANAJI
Within four months of the government’s assurance, Balrath employees have once again called for an indefinite strike, as the government failed to uphold its promise of increased remuneration and job security.
The Balrath employees, under the All Goa United Balrath Employees Union, went on an indefinite strike in July, demanding the fulfillment of their long-standing requests, including a pay raise, regularization of their services, and benefits under ESI, PF, and health insurance, among other demands. With buses going off the road, the government intervened and assured an increase in the remuneration of drivers and attendants.
Accordingly, the Directorate of Education issued a circular stating that, effective from June of this year, drivers would be paid Rs 17,000 instead of Rs 11,000, and attendants would receive a salary of Rs 10,000 instead of Rs 5,500 for 11 months, with a 5 percent annual increase.
However, the employees have informed The Goan today that the majority of school managements have not implemented the pay raise. There are a total of 420 Balrath buses in operation across the state.
Speaking to the media on Tuesday, Union President Swati Kerkar explained that the circular issued for the pay raise remained on paper, with school managements refusing to implement it.
“While very few schools have implemented it, the majority are not willing to do so. They even claim that they have not received any directives from the state government,” Kerkar said, adding that the issue was brought to the attention of the Education department, but no steps have been taken to resolve it.
Kerkar stated that school managements are, on the contrary, forcing the drivers and attendants to perform tasks like cleaning toilets and gardening in an attempt to secure a pay hike. “Schools have already received an increase in their annual grants from 3.66 lakhs to 4.17 lakhs. Despite that, no benefits are being extended to the Balrath employees. Some of them have not even been paid for the current academic year so far,” she said.
The Union has demanded that the staff be paid salaries in accordance with the principle of equal remuneration for equal work, at par with the drivers and attendants of other government departments, or be paid in accordance with the Minimum Wages Act.
The Union has also demanded that their salaries be directly deposited into their personal bank accounts, leaving no room for corruption, unauthorized deductions, harassment, or unnecessary obligations.
“Any delay in this regard would compel us to go on strike once again,” she said.
