Panaji: Hundreds of workers walked the streets of Panaji on Thursday under the banner of the All India Trade Union Congress (AITUC) to mark International Workers’ Day.
Members of plant-level trade unions affiliated with AITUC participated in the march, demanding justice for the working class in the state.
“The working class is still oppressed in the state. The state government is hand-in-glove with the capitalists to ensure that the labour union movement is crushed,” said Suhas Naik, Secretary, AITUC, while speaking to reporters near the Kadamba Bus Stand in Panaji, from where the march began.
He said the increasing trend of employing workers on contractual appointments — both in the government and private sectors — is an attempt to deny workers their right to minimum wages and other legal entitlements.
Naik stated that the labour union movement remains strong in Goa despite desperate attempts by both the state and central governments to suppress it.
He added that labour unions have been working tirelessly to protect the interests of workers amidst several anti-labour policies implemented by the government.
Naik further said the state government has invoked the Essential Services Maintenance Act (ESMA) in the pharmaceutical sector, enabling managements to carry out mass terminations.
He cited instances of mass terminations in industrial estates such as Verna (South Goa), allegedly backed by the state government.
After the march, various union leaders, including AITUC General Secretary Christopher Fonseca, addressed a public meeting at Church Square in Panaji city.
