With the employees’ unions in the Kerala State Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC) launching an indefinite strike against the management in protest against the delay in disbursing the full salary of employees, the corporation management and employees are yet again on the warpath, locking horns over salary and pension distribution.
The Centre of Indian Trade Unions-affiliated Kerala State Road Transport Employees Association (KSRTEA) and Indian National Trade Union Congress-affiliated Transport Democratic Federation (TDF) on Saturday launched an indefinite strike in front of the chief office of the KSRTC here demanding the full salary of employees in single instalment, while the Bharatiya Mazdoor Sangh-affiliated Kerala State Transport Employees Sangh (KSTES), has declared a 24-hour strike from May 7 midnight.
Meanwhile, the KSRTC has decided to invoke dies non for three days for employees not reporting for work in view of the indefinite strike called by the unions on Monday. In a statement issued by the office of the KSRTC Managing Director on Saturday, the employees who do not turn up for work on May 8 will be considered as absent on May 7, 8 and 9. When a 24-hour strike is announced, the service on the day before and after the day of the strike will be affected. It is against this backdrop the corporation invoked dies non for three days.
The strike is expected to cause hardship to both the corporation and the general public. The corporation has also instructed the cluster, district, and unit chiefs to take extra care not to disrupt the bus services on account of the strike call by the union on the same days.
The corporation disbursed the first instalment of the salary of employees for the month of April on Thursday. While disbursing a total of Rs 39.37 crore as the first instalment of the salary, the corporation has announced that the second announcement would be given only when the State government releases the monthly financial assistance to the corporation.
Lashing out at the employees’ unions, Transport Minister Antony Raju said the BMS-affiliated union has no moral right to hold a strike as Indian Railways had many times disbursed the salary of employees in instalments.
The INTUC-affiliated union also sought an investigation into the projects implemented in the corporation under the aegis of Keltron while the CITU-affiliated union has asked the State government to intervene and direct the corporation to toe the line.
