After a fortnight-long uncertainty, the Kerala State Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC) on Monday began paying salary to its employees, averting a major crisis in the transport utility.
KSRTC employees were on the warpath as the salary payment for March got delayed and their unions had announced strikes on various dates in protest against the delay.
KSRTC Chairman and Managing Director Biju Prabhakar confirmed that salary distribution began on Monday afternoon and it would be completed by night.
₹30 cr. from govt.
The State government had earlier sanctioned ₹30 crore for paying the salary. With the State government asking the KSRTC to meet the remaining money from its own fund, the corporation was looking for ways to find the additional funds required to pay the salary. Now, the utility has availed itself of an overdraft of ₹45 crore to pay the salary of the entire employees.
The employees’ unions would convene a meeting to call off the strikes announced, once the salary was credited to all employees, said M.G. Rahul, general secretary, Kerala State Transport Employees Union (KSTEU) affiliated to the All India Trade Union Congress (AITUC).
Protests
The employees’ union owing allegiance to the Centre of Indian Trade Unions (CITU) and the KSTEU had announced a strike on April 28, while the Indian National Trade Union Congress-affiliated Transport Democratic Federation (TDF) called for a strike on May 6 by boycotting duty. CITU-affiliated union members have launched an indefinite fast in front of the chief office of the KSRTC while a fast by employees owing allegiance to the KSTEU was under way in front of the central bus station here. The TDF started a fast in front of the Secretariat on Monday.
