Terminated mining workers stone Fomento’s trucks, 56 arrested
MAYUR NAIK, CURCHOREM | 24 February 2016 21:58 IST
A fresh unrest has sprung up in the mining belt, this time against Fomento, resulting into stoning mining trucks and police arresting 56 workers at Kuddegal mine in South Goa.
Hundreds of workers, who were terminated eight months ago, stopped transportation of e-auctioned ore from Kuddegal mine of Fomento.
They are demanding reinstatement since mining has resumed.
Ambar Timblo, managing director of Fomento, however has ruled out reinstatement.
The terminated workers demand reinstatement since their services were terminated because there was no possibility of resumption of mining at Kuddegal.
“Mining has not resumed. We are transporting e-auctioned ore”, Timblo told goanews.com.
Dharbandoda deputy collector Sagun Velip, along with Mamlatdar Satish Prabhu and police officials, tried to resolve the issue by negotiating with the workers.
But the protesting workers and their families were demanding that the work related to e-auctioned ore be allotted to them, instead of contractors.
As the talks failed, workers stoned four trucks, affecting the ore transportation.
Police immediately moved into action and arrested 56 protesting workers and their leaders, including three women.
Timblo feels this is not a genuine issue to fight for but the politics the union leaders are playing.
The local union leaders were fighting on behalf of 219 workers Fomento had terminated.
“There is no question of reinstating them since the company has already spent around Rs seven crore, legally settling their dues”, says Timblo.
While Fomento kept the workers in service when they were fighting for resumption of mining after it was banned in 2012, their services were terminated after the Supreme Court lifted the ban.
