MARGAO
With no sign of compensation from the Margao Municipal Council after illegally deducting amounts from their wages towards Provident Fund, the beleaguered daily wage workers have resolved to form a human chain around the municipal building on International Women’s Day as a mark of protest against the indifference of the civic babus and the city fathers.
While the municipality had decided to undo the wrong committed by it with effect from February, the 250-odd daily wage workers are demanding to know when they will be compensated for the illegal deduction of their wages. The workers claimed that the municipality owes each of these workers around Rs 48,000, which were illegally deducted as provident fund.
The workers, mostly women, pointed out that though they had gone on a flash strike around a fortnight ago to register their protest against the illegal deductions and had resumed duty only on the intervention of the Chairperson Babita Prabhudesai, they lamented that the civic body is yet to compensate them for the illegal deductions.
As per the rules, the civic body is mandated to contribute 12 per cent towards the provident fund account of the daily wage workers who were employed for garbage work and were entitled to receive a daily wage of Rs 500.
However, to their shock and surprise, these daily wage workers realized the bitter truth that the civic body was not contributing any amount towards the provident fund, but was deducting the amount from the workers’ wages.
Former Municipal Chairperson Savio Coutinho, who had taken up cudgels for the beleaguered workers, contended that the workers have not yet been compensated by the civic body.
“They claimed that they will rectify the blunder from the month of February. The municipality cannot abdicate from its responsibility for the illegal deductions,” he said.
He pointed out that the daily wage workers will all participate in a human chain on March 8 which is celebrated the world over as Women’s Day, adding that the workers will unveil the future plan of action on that day.
