BENGALURU: Drivers hired by the state government through agencies are being paid less than what they are supposed to get, claims the State Government and Government Concerns Drivers’ Federation.
Federation president M S Venugopal on Monday said that according to government rules, a driver should be paid Rs 15,581, of which Rs 11,600 is given in hand with the rest going into EPF and ESI. However, according to Venugopal, the drivers are getting only around Rs 8,000 in hand.
“The agency pays us Rs 10,800 but after all other reductions, I get only Rs 6,750. It’s the same with most other drivers hired by various agencies,” a government driver told Express.
Another driver, who works in the MS Building near Vidhana Soudha, said he gets around Rs 7,000 a month but has not been paid by the agency for the last three months. “If we go to rural areas, and travel day and night, then the agency will pay us Rs 10,000,” he added.
So, why don’t they speak up in front of their agencies?
“We tried, but they told us that if we have a problem, we can leave the job,” said another driver. According to him, most drivers are willing to work for even Rs 6,000, just to have some means of income.
‘Eliminate Agencies’
Venugopal said the government should start hiring drivers by itself instead of outsourcing the job to agencies. “They should fill the vacancies in all the departments immediately. If they start transferring salaries into bank accounts directly, this problem will not be there and agencies will stop pocketing commissions they aren’t supposed to take,” he said.
Venugopal added that many government vehicles are seen on roads even after office hours.
“If the government does not heed our demands, we will stage a protest and stop vehicular traffic in the Vidhana Soudha corridor,” he said.
Meanwhile, Transport Commissioner Rame Gowda said drivers are free to lodge a complaint with the authorities if they are being cheated by the agencies.
On the accusation that government vehicles are misused after office hours, he said officials sometimes have to attend meetings and other engagements that finish late. “Sometimes, when there is additional work, it is not uncommon for officials to work into the wee hours,” he said.