Goemkarponn desk
PANAJI: As part of their plan to address employment issues, Revolutionary Goans Party (RGP) on Friday unveiled its Labour Policy and Employment Vision.
RGP Supremo Manoj Parab said that Goa’s biggest problem today is contract labour, especially those contract employees working in government departments.
“Many are working on a contract basis, and many have retired as well without being regularised. At the time of elections, the government gives assurances, hires people on a contract basis in various departments, and gives false promises to regularise them.
They are being exploited. Hence, RGP has unveiled a Labour Policy to address this issue,” he said.
Parab said that if RGP forms the government, it will regularise all contract staff, i.e Persons of Goan Origin (POGO) who have completed service of 5 years and above.
A new policy will be framed for the recruitment of contract labour. “The government hires people on contract and denies them benefits. Hence, the Minimum Wages Act will be amended. The minimum wage has to be increased, and we will do this, ” he said.
Parab also pointed out that migrant contract labourers in Goa are not registered, and their numbers are unknown.
Another important aspect of the policy will be revamping the employment exchange and making it user-friendly. “People will be able to view online the jobs available in various companies in the state. Employers will also get a separate login panel to post their vacancies on the portal,” he said.
As many people travel from the villages to the cities for work, accommodation facilities will be created at the taluka level.
Roadside labour markets will be discontinued, and these will be regularised, while the unorganised labour class will be registered. An online portal to book daily or long term labour will be created, he added.
As part of their Employment Vision, RGP will undertake human resource mapping of all POGO families, and a database of all employed and unemployed people in Goan families will be created.
New companies and industries will be invited based on the availability of human resources, Parab said.
RGP will push for the replacement of migrant staff by Goan workers in a phase-wise manner, and companies that are not employing Goans and blocklisting them will be penalised, he said.
Other aspects of the Employment Vision include a 24/7 helpline for private job employers and employees to register complaints of harassment, exploitation by the employer, etc., providing accommodation and apartments in and around industrial estates and cities for POGO employees and deploying special night buses for employees working in night shifts in industrial estates and other commercial areas.
