20 October,2017 08:55 AM IST | Mumbai | Vinod Kumar Menon
Employees of M/s Gol Offshore Limited have not yet received their salary; some staff still stranded on ship at Scotland for over a year
For the second consecutive year, employees of the Mumbai based M/s Gol Offshore Limited, have had a dark Diwali as they have not been paid their salary. The fate of the staff working at the company's registered head office in Energy House, near CST, is also at stake, and most of them have been with it for over two to three decades. The last payment to them was made in early July 2017 and that was towards the wages of October 2016. Salaries are pending and the company has no intention of paying the same, said an insider. Another source said, "Over 30 staff members, having served their stipulated notice period, are desirous of resigning. But they have not been given the necessary release letter and service certificates. All staff members are threatened by the top management to continue serving without payment and they do so due to fear of losing their gratuity and provident fund."
Members of the Malaviya 7 stranded in Scotland
The company requires over Rs 100 crore to clear the wages and maritime claims of 37 vessels which it owns, and to make them fit for sailing. However, almost all vessels are either obsolete or under arrest, for non-payment of dues. Company insiders say that most of the employees within the company and even those who left are concerned about their provident fund and gratuity along with the full and final settlement, which itself would require over Rs 18 crore.
Also read: 12 Mumbaikars languish over a year in ship off Scotland
No bidder for Malaviya 7
Only one company came forward to take part in the bidding process for Malaviya 7, another ship owned by the company, which was arrested in Scotland over a year back. Assumption, wife of Clay Vaz, one of the crew on board said, "The company only quoted a price of £3,00,000, whereas the crews' pending salary itself is over £6,00,000, and this seriously disappointed my husband and other crew members on board."
Also Read: Shipping company's staffers in Mumbai awaiting salaries since a year
How the trouble started
GOL Offshore Limited was incepted as the offshore division of The Great Eastern Shipping Company Limited by the Sheth family in the year 1983. In the year 2005 due to family differences, the offshore division parted ways and emerged as Great Offshore Limited headed by Vijay K Sheth, said an industry expert. The expert further added, "Subsequently, due to financial crisis Vijay K Sheth lost his stake and control to PC Kapoor and Vijay Kumar of Bharati Shipyard Limited. The name of the company thereafter changed to GOL Offshore Limited. Since the takeover by Bharati Shipyard Limited, a once thriving and cash rich company slowly became debt-ridden, and is now bankrupt.
Other side
Attempts to reach out to Gol Offshore Limited and Bharati Shipyard Limited to get their side of the story did not yield a result.
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