12 waste collectors have not been paid for over a month
Congress leaders MP Viriato Fernandes and Savio Coutinho hand over grocery kits to Margao Municipal waste workers who have not been paid for the past month on Wednesday.
MARGAO
The Congress distributed grocery kits to 12 Margao Municipal workers in front of the municipal building on Wednesday. Party leader Savio Coutinho said the civic body has not followed the High Court order on regularising the workers and has also failed to pay their wages since last month.
South Goa MP Captain Viriato Fernandes, who handed over the groceries, criticised the Margao Municipal Council for not paying the waste collection workers, especially during the Christmas season.
Fernandes also praised Savio Coutinho and his team for providing temporary relief to the workers during the festive season. Coutinho said that the 12 workers had won a legal case for their regularisation through a court order dated August 4, 2025. However, the order has still not been implemented and the workers have not been paid for the last month.
He added that another group of 12 daily wage workers has also not received wages since November 2025.
“These workers faced severe hardship during Christmas. How can they celebrate when they have not been paid for two months?” he asked.
Coutinho further said that when the workers try to meet the council authorities, they are turned away. He claimed that since November 3, 2025, they have been working without written orders and fear that they may again lose their wages, as happened in the past.
