Civic staff down tools over delay in renewal of contracts
Daily wage workers employed by the Margao Municipal Council at the Old Market garage after they refused to work on Monday, following the civic body’s failure to renew their work orders.
MARGAO
Daily wage workers employed by the Margao Municipal Council struck work on Monday after their employment orders lapsed and the civic body failed to renew them on time.
The delay in renewing the workers’ contracts drew sharp criticism from several quarters, especially since the city was celebrating the famous Dindi festival on the same day.
To tide over the situation, Margao Municipal officials utilised the regular workers in full strength and also roped in workers of the private garbage contractors to clear garbage in the heart of the city. By noon, the civic body managed to clear the wet waste, while garbage collection continued in the city outskirts till Monday evening.
Trouble began early in the morning when the daily wage workers, engaged in garbage collection as usual, reported for work at the Old Market garage. When they found that the MMC had yet to issue them the work orders extending their employment, they refused to join duties in the absence of the orders. They demanded to know whether any senior official was willing to shoulder responsibility in the event of an accident while on duty without the renewal of their work orders by the civic body.
Apprehensions were also raised that the delay in the renewal of their work orders would amount to a break in service.
The daily wage workers further questioned whether they were now entitled to wages only for 26 days, even though they worked 24x7, including Sundays and holidays.
Some of the workers also raised doubts about the fate of the government’s announcement promising them temporary status and whether they would be entitled to wages on par with the regular municipal workers.
Margao Municipal Chairperson Damu Shirodkar made his presence felt at the Margao Municipal garage at the Old Market to convince the workers, but they stuck to their guns and refused to join duties.
The civic chief warned the striking workers that their refusal to work would be taken seriously by the Margao Municipal Council and the Director of Municipal Administration.
Congress leader Savio Coutinho took up cudgels for the beleaguered workers, saying the Chairperson threatened them with action if they did not join work. He further said the MMC has yet to implement the High Court’s order on the regularisation of workers.
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Civic chief invokes ‘parampara’ to explain delay in contract renewal
MARGAO: Apparently defending the delay by the Margao Municipal Council (MMC) in renewing the work orders of daily wage workers, Margao Civic Chief Damu Shirodkar said there exists a “parampara” (tradition) within the Council, wherein renewal orders for daily wage workers are typically issued only after the commencement of the new month.
Shirodkar told the media that despite this customary delay, the civic body has never failed to renew the work orders of its daily wage employees.
“The daily wage workers refused to report for duty despite this long-standing practice of delayed renewal of contracts. We will take a serious note of the situation. The Director of Municipal Administration (DMA) has instructed us to record the names of the workers who refused to work on Monday,” he added.
By evening, Shirodkar held a meeting with the daily wage workers along with Chief Officer Madhu Narvekar, Municipal Engineer Deepak Desai, and other officials to resolve the issue.
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DMA-MMC communication lapse blamed for impasse
MARGAO: Guess the reason behind the Margao Municipal Council’s failure to renew the work orders of the daily wage workers on time?
A communication gap between the Director of Municipal Administration and the municipal officials, as well as between the officials and the workers, seemed to have resulted in the impasse.
Civic officials sought to lay the blame at the door of the government, including the Director of Municipal Administration (DMA), for not sending correspondence to the civic body regarding the renewal of the daily wage workers’ orders.
Sources in the Margao Municipal Council informed that although the government had cleared the proposal for renewal of the work orders, the DMA did not send written communication to the civic body to finalise the process.
That’s not all. Sources said the Margao Civic Chief is correct in saying that the civic body has a tradition of issuing the work orders after the beginning of the month. Questions are being raised as to why senior officials did not inform the workers in time that their work orders would be renewed once the civic body received communication from the Director of Municipal Administration.
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Council faces flak for Dindi day disruption
MARGAO: Madganvcho Awaaz has blamed the Margao Municipal Council for the decision of daily wage workers to stop work on the sacred day of Dindi Utsav on Monday.
While the city gathered in devotion, daily wage waste collection workers of the Margao Municipal Council were forced to stop work and stage a protest. The unfortunate situation arose due to the MMC’s failure to renew their contracts on time, leaving several hardworking families in uncertainty, claimed Youth Leader Prabhav Naik.
He said, “It is deeply concerning that the MMC administration allowed such a situation to develop, despite being fully aware of the expiry dates of these contracts. The renewal process could and should have been initiated much earlier. The delay reflects poor planning and insensitivity towards workers who have tirelessly kept the city clean for over a decade.”
Prabhav further stated, “If the MMC is claiming to follow a procedure with the Director of Municipal Administration, then that process must be applied fairly to both sides. Workers too cannot be forced to work without proper renewal orders. No authority, be it the Chief Officer, Chairperson, or MLA, can compel them to work in violation of administrative procedure.”
