Kerala: KSRTC staff launch protest over delayed pay

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The employees of KSRTC have launched a protest against the corporation management with regards to the salary disbursal for May, which is pending now. Congress and CITU-led unions have begun protests against the management in front of the KSRTC headquarters here from Monday, as the salary crisis remains unresolved.
The union leaders had walked out of the meeting convened by KSRTC chairman and managing director Biju Prabhakar on Friday, saying that the management had failed to give any assurances regarding salary disbursal. While signing the revised salary package, which was recently implemented for KSRTC employees, the employees demanded the salaries should be disbursed by the fifth of every month. However, as per the unions, the management has taken a stand that salary disbursal would be possible only after 19th, which is not agreeable to employees.
Inaugurating the day-night protest here by the pro-UDF employees' union Transport Democratic Federation (TDF), opposition leader V D Satheesan said the government is not doing anything that it has promised to revive the KSRTC. The government is trying to leave KSRTC to a natural death and denying ordinary citizens the facility for a public transport system, he said.
Meanwhile, the finance department on Monday sanctioned Rs 30 crore to the KSRTC.
According to unions, there is no justification for the delay this month as the corporation had generated a record revenue of Rs 193 crore last month in addition to receiving financial assistance from government.
Last month, for paying the salary for April, the government had sanctioned Rs 60 crore, as the corporation needs Rs 82 crore for paying salaries. The finance department had agreed to release the money after transport minister Antony Raju met the finance minister twice on the matter.