the goan I network
MARGAO
With the January 31 deadline served on the Margao Municipal Council to resolve all outstanding issues having expired, the Goa Municipal Employees Association has threatened to resort to tool down strike if there’s no initiative from the civic body.
Association general secretary Anil Shirodkar told The Goan that the Union had delayed in going on strike after January 31 and the office of the Labour Commissioner had invited them for discussions on their outstanding demands. Sadly, he pointed out that the Margao Municipal Council Chairperson Babita Angle Prabhudesai and the Chief Officer Johnson Fernandes were conspicuous by their absence and the civic body was represented only by a AAO Damodar Elekar.
“We had protested before the Labour Commission over the absence of the MMC Chairperson and the Chief Officer and had demanded their presence for any meaningful dialogue on our demands,” Anil said, adding that the Labour Commission has now fixed the second round of meeting later this week.
On the question of many posts allowed to lapse in the civic body, Anil pointed out that since it may take huge time to revive the posts, the Municipality should give ad hoc promotions to the employees, who have been due for promotions for years now.
He said the Association was forced to serve a notice to go on a tool down strike in view of the intentional neglect of duty and insensitiveness shown by all the statutory authorities to fulfill the responsibilities cast on each of them, particularly the labour machinery state. “We were left with no option than to serve the notice to go on tool down strike after the Council failed to fulfill the commitment publicly announced by the MMC Chief Officer on September 21, 2017,” he added.
