MARGAO
As the world celebrated Labour Day on Wednesday, the Shadow Council for Margao on Wednesday made a strong appeal to the Margao Municipal Council and all those associated with the council to do justice to the daily wage workers employed by the civic body.
Shadow Council Convenor Savio Coutinho said a host of issues have not been resolved by the civic body which directly cause grave injustice to the daily wage workers. “The issues right from regularisation of services, refund of provident fund excess amount, providing proper gear to the waste handlers etc. continue to remain as unfulfilled promises of this council,” he said.
Citing the recent case of a worker, Laxman Zamune, injured by a medical needle, who found himself terminated from service instead of being compensated for the injury on duty, Coutinho said the daily wage workers are made to work on public holidays but many a times are not compensated for the same.
However, on the other hand, the permanent workers engaged for the same job either get paid on hourly basis or get a compensatory off, he added.
It may be recalled that recently two holidays were declared upon the deaths of Mapusa MLA Francis D’Souza and Ex CM Manohar Parrikar. On both these public holidays, Coutinho claimed the daily wage workers worked for the council in their respective positions but were not compensated in any form.
He further pointed out that though April 23 was declared a public holiday for voting, the daily wage workers performed their regular duty, adding “it is to be seen now whether these workers will be compensated in any form for the same.”
