VASCO: Months after BJP leaders promised up to 10,000 jobs on account of Rs 32,000 crore projects earmarked to Goa Shipyard Limited (GSL), the State's premier shipyard sparked off a major controversy on Friday by reportedly short-listing mostly non-Goans for carpentry jobs.
The incident has gone viral on social media and the ongoing unrest over jobs being allotted to "outsiders" comes close on the heels of another company which was severely criticised as being "anti-Goan" for recently advertising in Karnataka for jobs at its Verna plant.
According to reports, the GSL had conducted a written test on September 21 for the post of carpenter and had short-listed candidates for the practical test.
The chairman of GSL's selection committee issued a notice on the same day, intimating 28 candidates that they had been short-listed for the practical test and were advised "to report to the Recruitment Section."
Highlighting the issue on social media, Advocate Yemane D'Souza attached the list of 28 candidates and added his comments aimed at a politician: "No place for Goemkar in GSL??? Or is it the Neo Goemkar that you fight for???" He ended with the hash tag "#FotFotingFotingponn".
His tweeter post went viral on social media, prompting several reactions from people.
When contacted Adv D'Souza told The Goan: "When a minister can coerce a private company to employ Goans, why the silence on employment in the government sector. Are Goans only supposed to work for the private industry?"
Taking strong note of the incident, Panchayats Minister Mauvin Godinho warned that GSL's decision to short-list non-Goans as carpenters could spark off protests among Goan youth.
"Whatever I had been shouting all this while regarding employment of Goans has been proved right by GSL today in the short-listing of carpenters who are non-Goans," Godinho told The Goan on Friday night.
"Such events will create unnecessary social tensions among youth of Goa. There will be a time when they will come on roads and GSL will be solely responsible for this," warned Godinho.
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SAILING AWAY FROM GOANS
* Highlighting the issue on social media, Advocate Yemane D'Souza attached the list of 28 candidates and added his comments aimed at a politician: "No place for Goemkar in GSL???
* According to reports, the GSL had conducted a written test on September 21 for the post of carpenter and had short-listed candidates for the practical test
* The chairman of GSL's selection committee issued a notice on the same day, intimating 28 candidates that they had been short-listed for the practical test
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GSL has been pro-Goan
in outlook: GSL CMD
VASCO: Stung by widespread criticism that Goa Shipyard Limited (GSL) had short-listed "outsiders" to carpentry jobs at the shipyard, GSM CMD R Adm Shekhar Mittal insisted that the GSL was pro-Goan and committed to provide growing opportunities to Goans each year.
When Mittal was shown a copy of the list of short-listed candidates on Friday evening, he did not deny or dispute the contents, but sought to refute allegations that GSL had been trying to employ non-Goans at the shipyard.
"When I joined GSL about three years ago, recruitments had come to a standstill and GSL would take only 20-40 people as apprentices. Since then, GSL has recruited over 700 people and 70% of them are local Goans," said Mittal.
"I can assure you as far as GSL is concerned, we are committed to working out ways to give more and more opportunities to Goans every year and how our presence can benefit local Goans."
He recalled that when GSL had recently received defence orders worth Rs 32,000 crores while Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar was defence minister, Parrikar had insisted that the shipyard increase the intake of locals and employ more Goans.
"With a view to have more Goans employed in GSL, we have even adopted a local ITI college and also created a centre of excellence for welding trade," Mittal added.
Stating that GSL has also espoused the need for its vendors to be pro-Goan in their approach.
"Tender works worth Rs 700 crore have been floated and we are continuously telling our main vendors to employ maximum Goans. Rest assured that Goans will benefit maximum in terms of employment from the Rs 32,000 crore defence order we have received," added Mittal.
