Thiruvananthapuram: Kerala State Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC) has failed to pay salaries to its employees for the month of March, almost half of April has passed.
employees must be persuaded Vishu and perhaps, Easter Also, without pay, unless the government provides enough money.
KSRTC needs Rs 80 crore for one month’s salary payment and has asked for Rs 75 crore from the government, but the finance department has approved only Rs 30 crore, so that KSRTC Management Unable to pay salary. Even Rs 30 crore approved on Wednesday has not reached KSRTC’s account.
The public utility had disbursed last month’s salary by taking an overdraft of Rs 5o crore from the bank. Salary was given as part payment.
The government had given Rs 202 crore in April for repayment of various loans taken by KSRTC and hence, the finance department was not ready to sanction the Rs 75 crore demanded by the state utility for disbursement of March salaries.
Management is of the view that continuous increase in fuel prices has led to reduction in KSRTC’s revenue. The daily revenue collection had increased to Rs 5 crore, but the corporation is yet to profit as the fuel prices are rising on a daily basis.
Left trade unions in KSRTC, however, are blaming the management for the crisis. The Kerala State Road Transport Employees Union (CITU) and Kerala State Transport Employees Union (AITUC) have launched an indefinite protest in front of the central office of KSRTC. While AITUC celebrated ‘Black Day’ on Thursday, CITU started an indefinite relay dharna. The unions have threatened to go on an indefinite fast and a symbolic strike on April 28.
“It is nothing but mismanagement and lack of efficiency on the part of the KSRTC management, which has led to the present crisis. If the management is unable to provide the salary, they should resign and go,” said KSRTEA general secretary CK Harikrishnan.
We have been supporting all the initiatives taken by the management even during the pandemic. But after the pandemic subsides, instead of increasing the fleet of buses and its services, the management is doing gimmicks to show that the corporation is in trouble, he said.
Harikrishnan said that the management had promised to pay us salary before the fifth of every month and has violated this assurance.
employees must be persuaded Vishu and perhaps, Easter Also, without pay, unless the government provides enough money.
KSRTC needs Rs 80 crore for one month’s salary payment and has asked for Rs 75 crore from the government, but the finance department has approved only Rs 30 crore, so that KSRTC Management Unable to pay salary. Even Rs 30 crore approved on Wednesday has not reached KSRTC’s account.
The public utility had disbursed last month’s salary by taking an overdraft of Rs 5o crore from the bank. Salary was given as part payment.
The government had given Rs 202 crore in April for repayment of various loans taken by KSRTC and hence, the finance department was not ready to sanction the Rs 75 crore demanded by the state utility for disbursement of March salaries.
Management is of the view that continuous increase in fuel prices has led to reduction in KSRTC’s revenue. The daily revenue collection had increased to Rs 5 crore, but the corporation is yet to profit as the fuel prices are rising on a daily basis.
Left trade unions in KSRTC, however, are blaming the management for the crisis. The Kerala State Road Transport Employees Union (CITU) and Kerala State Transport Employees Union (AITUC) have launched an indefinite protest in front of the central office of KSRTC. While AITUC celebrated ‘Black Day’ on Thursday, CITU started an indefinite relay dharna. The unions have threatened to go on an indefinite fast and a symbolic strike on April 28.
“It is nothing but mismanagement and lack of efficiency on the part of the KSRTC management, which has led to the present crisis. If the management is unable to provide the salary, they should resign and go,” said KSRTEA general secretary CK Harikrishnan.
We have been supporting all the initiatives taken by the management even during the pandemic. But after the pandemic subsides, instead of increasing the fleet of buses and its services, the management is doing gimmicks to show that the corporation is in trouble, he said.
Harikrishnan said that the management had promised to pay us salary before the fifth of every month and has violated this assurance.