A meeting between protesting Kerala State Transport Corporation employees and Transport Minister Antony Raju remained inconclusive after the State government reportedly refused to provide any assurance to the employees to disburse the salary before 5th of every month.
Soon after the meeting, the Indian National Trade Union Congress (INTUC)-affiliated Transport Democratic Federation (TDF) called for a strike on May 6 if the salary of employees was not disbursed before May 5. The Kerala State Transport Employees Union (KSTEU) affiliated to All India Trade Union Congress (AITUC) announced that they would strike the duty from the midnight on May 5 if the salary of employees was not credited on that day.
According to the office of the Minister, Mr. Raju informed the union members that the delay in providing the salary was mainly due to expense overshooting the revenue. However, the corporation would try to earmark a portion of its revenue to pay the salary bills of employees along with seeking government assistance to pay the salary the 5th of every month.
But the employees’ outfits were keen on getting an assurance from the Minister. It is expected that the State government would provide ₹30 crore in next month for providing the salary and the public utility will have to source the remaining fund for paying the salary bills.
