Workers' condition pathetic, says Fonseca at 60
GOANEWS DESK, PANAJI | 25 July 2013 23:40 IST
AITUC president Prasanna Uttagi greeting Christopher Fonseca on his 60th birthday
Trade union leader Christopher Fonseca celebrated his 60th birthday today, not with celebration, but by projecting the decaying condition of Goa’s working class.
At a press conference held along with his comrade-in-arms at the AITUC office, Fonseca expressed concern over hundreds of workers getting retrenched with the active collaboration of the government.
AITUC president Prasanna Uttagi, along with other leaders like A F P Mascarenhes, Raju Manageshkar and Suhas Naik, joined him at the press conference echoing similar concern.
Fonseca criticised the government authorities for joining hands with Zuari Agro Chemicals industry to crush the strike of contract workers, who were retrenched.
While 300 Zuari workers were retrenched, the government collaborated with the management to bring in 250 contract workers from Tamil Nadu to replace them.
“We are not happy with the reconcilaition worked out by the Labour Commissioner’s office with the management by making 250 contractor workers jobless”, said Fonseca.
In a similar manner, he said, 250 workers at GKB Optholmists at Tivim and 100 workers at Rishab Industries in Mapusa were retrenched.
Fonseca also said never in the past such kind of active collaboration of the government with the managements was experienced in Goa.
Mangeshkar, adding to it, said the governmnet was also supporting the management in breaking the trade unions and allowing pro-management unions to take over.
Uttagi pointed out that the Goa government was not honouring the agreement reached at the Indian Labour Conference to link the minimum wages with the variable price index, thereby depriving the working class from its rightful rise in wages from time to time.
Suhas Naik asked why the state government had stopped collecting one per cent cess from the builders of the value of each flat and use it for the welfare of construction workers.
“Imagine the amount of cess the state would have collected in last four years when each flat today costs not less than Rs 75 lakh to Rs one crore”, he observed.
I know Comrade Christopher Fonseca for many years. He is a leader who has always struggled for the welfare of the working class.
May God keep him in good health for many more years. It is difficult to get such persons who care for the good of the workers. Many times, he had to undergo fast to get benefits for the workers.
Unfortunate that authorities are not supporting the management of some industries in retrenching workers who have put in many years of work.
Workers need to be given job security and all the benefits they deserve.
Happy Birthday Comrade Christopher Fonseca.
Never give up, Fight for the cause of workers...