THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Bringing relief for KSRTC employees who have not received their salaries since July, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Monday said the arrears would be paid before Onam.
At a meeting with trade union representatives, the CM also directed the KSRTC management to disburse the salaries before the 5th of every month from now. KSRTC authorities said disbursal of June’s salary is currently on.
While the conductors, drivers, mechanics and ministerial staff had received June’s salary, assistant and district transport officers, besides station masters, were yet to get it, authorities said. At the meeting, in which Transport Minister Antoy Raju and KSRTC MD Biju Prabhakar were present, the unions opposed the proposal to implement 12-hour single duty shift, preferring an 8-hour single shift instead. However, since consensus eluded, the CM suggested holding separate talks on the matter, union representatives told reporters later.
Raju later said KSRTC will be divided into three zones each having separate executive officers. He said the government will be unable to give Onam advance and bonus considering KSRTC’s financial crisis. On providing coupons to employees, Raju said it was the court’s suggestion, not the government’s.
Meanwhile, the meeting also decided to implement a single-duty system on rotational basis in each zone. It was decided to appoint efficient officers as zonal chiefs and implement the new work norm for mechanical workshops in phases. Daily allowances and incentives for drivers and conductors will be credited to their accounts the same day, it was decided.
KSRTC authorities said jobs will be given to temporary staffers kept away from work at present. It was decided to redeploy mechanical and ministerial staffers and appoint temporary mechanical staffers in vacancies arising from the redeployment.