Goa govt planning to reserve 80% jobs in factories for locals

Panaji: Following in the footsteps of Andhra Pradesh, the Goa government is now planning to reserve "80 per cent" jobs in the industrial units receiving state government subsidies for the people of Goan origin, the Legislative Assembly was told on Wednesday.

Chief Minister Pramod Sawant also said that "60 per cent of the 80 per cent jobs" would be on a permanent basis.

While the Labour and Employment policies for the state will be drafted in the next six months, all industries in the state have been directed to register with the government and submit details about the workers and the sectors they are currently employed in, he said.

Sawant said the BJP-led government will draft the labour and employment policies in the next six months in which it might consider reserving "80 per cent jobs for Goans in the private sector, especially in the industrial units that get various subsidies from the state government, out of which 60 per cent jobs should be on a permanent basis".

"In the absence of labour and employment policies, the state government could not make it mandatory for private employers to allocate 80 per cent jobs to Goans," the chief minister said.

Responding to a question tabled by Congress MLA Aleixo Reginaldo Lourenco, Sawant said the upcoming policies might make it mandatory for the industrial units to hire 80 per cent Goans in jobs.

"The Labour Policy and the Employment Policy would be ready in the next six months which will help us to secure jobs for Goans in the private sector," Sawant said.

The chief minister also said a task force has been set up to ensure that industries adhere to the Minimum Wages Guarantee Act.

"All industries are asked to register with the state government mandatorily and give details about the workers and in which sector they are employed," he said.

Sawant said since the private sector, especially industrial units, enjoys various subsidies from the state government, they are expected to reserve 80 per cent of the total jobs to the people with the Goan origin.

"But there is no regulatory authority to keep a tab. Once the policy is in place, we will come to know whether they are adhering to the requirement or not," he said.

The Andhra Pradesh Legislative Assembly last week passed the AP Employment of Local Candidates in Industries and Factories Bill, 2019, that mandates employment of at least 75 per cent state candidates in the respective units.