The single duty for drivers and conductors for 12-hour work rolled out in the Kerala State Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC) has led to unrest among trade unions and crumbling of the joint platform.
The Indian National Trade Union Congress-affiliated Transport Workers Union, led by general secretary R. Sasidharan, and the Transport Drivers Union, led by general secretary R. Ayappan, walked out of the joint trade union committee.
The joint committe was spearheading an agitation for the last few months against what it termed anti-employee measures initiated by the KSRTC management under former Chairman and Managing Director Tomin J. Thachankary.
The single duty for 12-hour work, mooted by former CMD Rajamanickam and later by Mr. Thachankary, was later shelved following opposition from the trade unions.
But, the Centre of India Trade Unions-affiliated Kerala State Road Transport Employees Association, one of the registered unions in the KSRTC, had supported the new duty regimen.
“Instead of approving the recommendations of the Jyothilal committee, the KSRTC management has executed the duty pattern with the support of the KSRTEA. The assurances given by the Transport and Labour Ministers and the decisions taken in the presence of the Labour Commissioner have been ignored,” Mr. Sasidharan said.
At present, 500 duties had been brought under the new pattern of single duty for 12-hour work. Mr. Sasidharan said the MD told the trade union leaders on Tuesday that the remaining duties would also be changed to the new pattern.
No decision had been taken to reinstate the sacked 3,861 empanelled conductors, duty revision of the mechanical staff, and long-pending promotion of the personnel, Mr. Sasidharan, who is also the working president of the Transport Democratic Federation, said.