5000 Sesa employees fear losing jobs if truckers’ strike not resolved
VISHANT VAZE, BICHOLIM | 21 December 2015 21:46 IST
The ongoing strike of truck owners on the issue of transportation rate has created yet another scare now with 5000 employees of Sesa Goa threatened of losing jobs with company planning to adopt a policy of No Work, No Pay.
Forming Sesa Employees Co-ordination Committee (SECC), the employees today tried to meet Chief Minister Laxmikant Parsekar, who cancelled their appointment last minute.
While CM Parsekar has backed out from the ongoing talks with the mining company as well as truck owners due to opposition Congress blaming the government, the Mahila Congress has now backed the striking truckers.
“If the situation continues like this, we will face the axe of becoming jobless”, said the representatives of SECC.
Since the extracted iron ore by Sesa Goa is not transported, the mining operations have also come to a halt.
Sesa Goa is the only mining company that had started operating its lease after three-year long ban on mining operations due to rampant illegal mining the companies were involved in.
“Some vested interests are creating a crisis situation by halting the mining operations”, alleges Balakhan Gouri, one of the leaders of SECC.
They are now once again trying to meet up with the CM tomorrow and request him to find an amicable solution to the problem as fast as possible.
Gouri spoke to the media today along with his colleagues Nilesh Karbotkar, Vivek Samerkar, Prakash Parab and Azad Kadkade.
On the other hand, All Goa Truck Association President Nilkanth Gawas said there is no question of resuming truck transport unless Sesa Goa increased its rate from Rs 8 per tonne per km.
Sunita Verenkar, Goa Mahila Congress president and a resident of Sankhli, has threatened to bring the whole women folk on the roads if the government does not resolve the issue as fast as possible.
Sesa Goa however is not prepared to raise a single rupee than Rs eight in order to reach a compromise while the truck owners have come down to Rs 11.27 per tonne per km from their earlier demand of Rs 17.32.
Goa govt has enough vacancies to absorb them. We can carve out another dozen of taluka and districts to create vacancies. Why worry?