Lifeguards’ strike enters day 2, contractor ropes in substitutes

The three-day strike of the lifeguards continued for the second day on Saturday, even as the contractor, Drishti Lifesavings Pvt. Ltd. (DLPL), said that 389 personnel have been deployed along the 106-kilometre coast, and with support from the Goa government and the police, they ensure the safety of tourists.

“Every single beach is manned; tourists are safe and able to enjoy Goa’s beaches the way they always do,” said a DLPL spokesperson on Saturday evening.

The contractor, in a press release, claimed that most lifeguards are on duty while many resumed duty after the strike on Friday. “The strike is illegal, unreasonable, and opportunistic. The young and gullible lifeguards are being misled by the union leaders with false hopes of permanent government employment and increased salary.”

Suhas Naik, an advocate and secretary of the All India Trade Union Congress (AITUC), told

The Hindu that of the 500 lifeguards, around 300-350 are on strike. He said that on Saturday, the lifeguards took out a morcha from Calangute in north coastal belt to the residence of local BJP MLA Michael D’Souza to convey their disappointment with the State government for not fulfilling their demands. He also said that the strike will continue till Sunday.

Lifeguards employed at beaches by DLPL, the Goa government’s lifeguard service provider, had gone on a three-day strike from Friday to protest the failure to deliver on the promise given by Tourism Minister Dilip Parulekar on January 13, and to protest the failure of the government to implement a written agreement signed by two Cabinet Ministers on November 21 to resolve their demands pertaining to salary and service conditions.

Chief Minister Laxmikant Parsekar has said that the government will not intervene in the matter.