PONDA
Despite assurances from Agriculture Minister Vijai Sardesai to resolve their grievances, including job security, 31 contract workers of Sanjeevani Sakhar Karkhana on Thursday staged a protest after their services were discontinued after three-and-half years.
The protesting workers believe this has been the government’s ploy to avoid regularising their services, which has been one of their main pending demands.
Zilla Panchayat member Govind Gaonkar and Dharbandora Panch Balaji alias Vinayak Gawas have supported the agitating workers and appealed to the government to pay heed to their demands.
These 31 workers are from Dharbandora and Sacorda panchayats and are now now getting support from the panchas and the zilla panchayat member.
According to the agitating workers, they have been serving the Sanjeevani Sakhar Karkhana for over a decade on a salary of Rs 7,500 and since the last three-and-half years were engaged continuously on a salary of Rs 15,000.
They have been engaged during all seasons either as maintenance workers or operators on different machines.
“On Thursday, we were refrained from punching our cards (for attendance) and were told to join on May 7. This is injustice to us all, as we have served this karkhana since the last 13-16 years. Now we have exceeded the age limit to seek government jobs. Who will employ us at this stage?” asked Babu Janu Gawali, one agitating worker, while speaking to media persons. “We have been doing all kinds of work in this karkhana and we had high expectations from the government that our demands for regularisation in services would be fulfilled.”
“But it appears that they are against regularisation and are trying to prove that our services were discontinued, so we can’t claim regularisation in services,” said Gawali.
Dharbandora Panch Balaji alias Vinayak Gawas accused former cooperation ministers and the present government for the plight of the workers.
“Neither Ravi Naik, Deepak Dhavalikar or Mahadev Naik (former ministers) paid heed to the issue of their regularisation. Instead, they regularised their supporters in this karkhana and hence I fully support these workers in their demand,” Gawas said.
“The government wants to discontinue their services as continuation of services would have helped these workers in seeking regularisation in services. Hence, I ask Agriculture Minister Vijai Sardesai, whether this is ‘Goenkarponn’ and request him to intervene in this issue,” Gawas said.
Zilla Panchayat member Govind Gaonkar also condemned the government’s act of discontinuing the service of the workers and demanded their regularisation.
Despite efforts, Sanjeevani Sakhar Karkhana Managing Director Damodar Morajkar could not be contacted for comments in the matter.
Meanwhile, Sanvordem MLA Deepak Pawaskar visited the agitating workers in the afternoon and assured them of all efforts to regularise their services. “I had demanded their regularisation with Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar seven months ago. Now, we will have to wait till he returns to Goa,” Pawaskar told The Goan over phone.
