VASCO
Many Goan barge employees affiliated to the United Bargemen’s Association on Tuesday demanded a change in the union committee, after alleging that the union had been supporting non-Goan workers through contractors and had placed them on barges while Goan barge workers had been without jobs for many months.
Employees have threatened to go on strike if their employment issues were not resolved.
A member, Shekar Naik, accused the new committee of having failed to support the cause of the workers.
"Despite having an office, we have been on the roads for the last two hours because the office is closed and when we call them, they refuse to come and threaten to file false police cases against us.”
“Non-Goans have been kept on barges for six months at much lower wages and we are out of jobs," said Naik.
Added another member, Mohan Tari: “The union committee claims they cannot give us work and threatens to blacklist us if we raise our voice. Around 300 Goans have been unemployed since the last one year.”
