THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The KSRTC employees owing allegiance to the Transport Democratic Federation (TDF), affiliated to the INTUC, will go on a 24-hour strike from June 14 midnight in protest against the alleged harassment and anti-worker policies of the management. Strike notices have been served on the government and the KSRTC management, said TDF state president Thampanoor Ravi.
In a statement, Ravi said the employees are facing unimaginable problems under the one-year rule of the LDF government. “If the UDF government had ensured payment of salary on time, in the past 11 months, the payment of both salaries and pension has been delayed. Pension has not been paid for the past three months. In all, 40,000 workers and 38,000 pensioners are distraught over the policy after delayed payments had a high bearing.
The KSRTC management has stopped discussions on the wage revision agreement as well, though the validity of the pay agreement expired in 2016,” he said. He blamed the LDF government for not coming up with a financial package to prop the KSRTC.
“The UDF government had implemented a Rs 1,486-crore revival package and waived loans totalling Rs 1,265 crore. The apprehensions over wage revision and DA still persist. The services of the empanel staff have been terminated and the LDF has gone back on its promise to confirm them.
The move to terminate the temporary staff in the mechanical wing is part of the strategy to bring down the ratio between buses and employees. Moves are afoot to do away with the statutory pension and introduce a maximum ceiling of Rs 15,000,” he said.
On the KSRTC management’s circular warning striking employees will be sacked, Ravi said such threats are not going to work.