NSTC staff protest pay cuts

Coimbatore: Employees of Tamil Nadu State Transport Corporation protested in Salem and Tirupur on Sunday demanding full pay without deducting salary for leave days.
More than 50 drivers and conductors gathered at the bus depot at Johnsonpettai in Salem on Sunday calling upon the government to provide full salaries for May. Their sit-in protest inside the bus depot will continue until their demands are fulfilled.
The protesters said TNSTC authorities have calculated the attendance of May 2019 for drivers and conductors to provide salaries of May 2020. Many employees had taken leave last May, they said. This decision led to deduction of their salaries for leave days. They also condemned the government for deducting their one-day salaries for Covid-19 donations.
The workers alleged that technical and office staff were asked to report for work by TNSTC authorities but were not given any protective gear to safeguard themselves from the pandemic. In many places, the technical staff were treated badly by officials, workers alleged.
In Tirupur, employee unions of TNSTC protested in front of a TNSTC depot located on Tirupur – Kangeyam road. They demanded the transport corporation not to deduct their salary. They said that as per the health department’s advisory, the transport corporation should protect its employees who are returning to work. The transport corporation should not take away the rights of the employees. They demanded the TNSTC officials to conduct talks with the TNSTC workers’ unions to fulfill the demands raised by the employees. tnn