The All India Trade Union Congress(AITUC), Goa, on Friday declared plans to launch a state-wide struggle in support of their demands to protect jobs, employment and livelihood of the people of Goa.
Addressing a press conference here on Friday, Goa General Secretary, AITUC, Christopher Fonseca criticised the Goa and the Central governments and said they must protect the livelihood of self-employed transport operators including truck operators, taxi operators, rickshaw operators, small hoteliers, shack owners, hawkers and market vendors.
The present governments have not fulfilled their promises made to the people. Price rise, corruption, unemployment and crimes are increasing by the day.
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The Government at the Centre, and States take great pleasure in destroying the livelihoods of the poor in decimating and evicting the farmers, hawkers, vendors, meat and vegetable traders, and so on. Thousands of workers have already lost jobs due to closures, lay-offs and retrenchments. The demonetisation has further resulted in closure of many factories and industries rendering thousands of workers jobless. The working people are worst affected by recent sweeping changes to the existing labour legislations. Many BJP-ruled States have already made sweeping changes to the existing labour laws in favour of the employer lobby, said a statement released by the AITUC leader.
“For the last five years trade unions and other mass organisations are on continuous struggles opposing this oppressive and exploitative polices of the Government. Despite of protests on streets, the Government is pursuing the anti labour and anti-people policies, said Mr. Fonseca.
On behalf of AITUC he demanded that the state government immediately revise the minimum wages for all schedules of employment to ₹18,000 per month to unskilled workers linked with dearness allowance.
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The AITUC demanded that all those working in various hotel industry in the state be paid 75% wages during the off-season. Similarly, he demanded that all hotel employees be paid 10% service charges on the total bill without any discrimination.