KSRTC trade unions gear up for strike

Thiruvananthapuram: With uncertainty still prevailing over the payment of the second instalment of the salary for the KSRTC employees, the trade unions are gearing up for a strike against the management.
BMS has already served a strike notice and the Congress-led union will take a decision soon on the strike. CITU has given time till March 15 for the management to reconsider the decision on the part payment system of the salaries.
Even though the KSRTC management has given the first instalment of the salary before March 5, it is unable to give a commitment on paying the next instalment as the government has not taken the decision to provide the sufficient funds for it.
The KSRTC management has taken the stand that the second instalment will be paid when the government sanctions the funds.
The state finance department has to sanction Rs 20 crore for January and Rs 50 crore for February as its share. However, the finance department has not taken any steps so far to release these amounts.
Meanwhile, the trade unions are preparing to launch an agitation against the new payment system. The CITU has already made it clear that they will not accept the instalment salary system and urged the management to reconsider its decision. In the discussion they had with the transport minister, they had promised that they will suspend the agitation till March 15.
The transport minister is of the view that other than the union leaders none of the employees have protested against the part payment of the salaries and they have collected the first instalment.
He said depending upon the crisis, the management is able to provide only part payment of salaries as the government fund will reach the management only by the second week of every month.
“No one has been denied the salary and that it was decided to give the salary in instalments considering the appeal by the employees to make payments in the first week itself to enable them to pay bank dues and meet other financial commitments,” said the minister.