Goa govt assures to accept demands of lifeguards

Goa Tourism Minister Dilip Parulekar today assured the lifeguards, who have been on a strike, that most of their demands, including that of hike in pay scale, would be accepted.
Around 600 lifeguards have been on strike for the last eight days pressing for their various demands. These lifeguards are employed by Drishti Lifesaving Services Pvt Ltd, an agency hired by state Tourism Department to man the beaches.
"The minister today assured us to give in writing that the pay scale of lifeguards would be hiked immediately while a high level committee headed by Parulekar would be formed to study the demand of regularisation in the services," Suhas Naik, a union leader, who was the part of the delegation that met Parulekar this evening told PTI.

Naik said the decision to withdraw the strike would be taken only after government gives in writing about the demands.
The agitating lifeguards are also demanding immediate reinstatement of 17 lifeguards, who were sacked by the company.
Naik said the state government has agreed to take back these 17 lifeguards into government services with immediate effect.