MARGAO: The meeting between the National Union of Seafarers of India and the Goan Retired Seamen Welfare Association before the South Goa Collector generated much heat on Wednesday.

But, sense prevailed and some control was recovered ultimately. The seamen have been agitating for some time now for a hike in the monthly ex-gratia assistance that is fixed at ` 200.
The meeting saw NUSI general secretary, Mr Abdul Ghani asking for two weeks time to sort out the matter. Present were Mr Ifrona Dias, Mr Peter Crasto, Mr Augustine Fernandes and Mr Alban Viegas, the seamen’s legal advisor.
The seamen also wanted the South Goa MP to be present the next time they met. The situation heated up after many retired seamen were incensed over the decision to keep them out of the meeting and were all set to physically assault the NUSI general secretary. On Tuesday, the PWD Minister, Mr Churchill Alemao had criticised the South Goa MP for fooling the seafarers and their families stating that he was corresponding with NUSI and Mr Abdul Ghani for a hike in the ex-gratia relief.
He had also accused him of only coming to “take mileage like he did with the direct Goa-Vailankani train.”
However, on Wednesday, the seamen insisted that as Mr Sardinha was the present MP, he should be there for the meeting and Mr Alemao had the chance when he was the MP but nothing was done.
Wednesday’s meeting came about as a result of a written communiqué from NUSI to the South Goa Collector wherein it was stated that the union representatives would meet and interact with the retired seafarers in his office between 9 a.m. to 10 a.m. on September 22.
The retired seafarers have been agitating for the past few months and have been knocking the doors of the all, including the Chief Minister, Mr Digambar Kamat and South Goa MP, Mr Francisco Sardinha, seeking their help with the NUSI management to consider a sizeable hike in the relief.
On Wednesday, the seamen submitted a memorandum to NUSI and the Collector stating that the meager amount of ` 200 per month was “not even sufficient for a single person to survive even for a day as the prices of all essential commodities have shot up and has increased the financial burden of every seamen.”
The memorandum accuses NUSI of “totally” forgetting and ignoring their demands and points out that at a meeting called by the then MP Mr Churchill Alemao along with the NUSI general secretary, Mr Abdul Ghani at the NUSI Maritime Academy in Goa, three years ago, “the NUSI general secretary had assured that all the Indian retired seafarers and their widows who were present for this meeting, that the NUSI office would increase the ex-gratia payment from ` 200 per month to ` 1,500 per month, but till today the retired seamen  are struggling to get that promised amount of ` 1,500.”
Pertinently, the seamen say that at the time of signing on and signing off, the article of agreement on board or at the shipping office, seafarers also contributed 15 per cent to 20 per cent of their salary towards NUSI Fund, from their compensation amount, the seafarers have received this, besides paying their annual NUSI membership fees, which now presently is ` 10, 000 per seaman per voyage.
“We would also like to bring to your kind notice that one of the NUSI office bearer receives around ` 12,000 per month as pension. Also NUSI office staff when they get retired are paid handsome amount of pension, so why only seafarers are deprived of good amount of pension? Is this not discrimination among members of NUSI family?” mentions the memorandum.