State run transport corporations' staff plan stir against govt move

Employees of various state road transport corporations and the Bangalore Metropolitan Transport Corporation (BMTC) have threatened to go on an indefinite stir from September 13, in protest against the government’s unilateral decision to hike wages by 10 per cent, according to the Karnataka Rajya Rasthe Saarige Nigamagala Karmika Sanghagala Janti Samithi.

Addressing a press meet here on Tuesday, KSRTC Staff and Workers Union General Secretary Praveen Kumar said: “We had demanded a tripartite wage settlement pact. We held a Joint Action Committee meeting on April 25, to decide that the management of the four corporations, including BMTC, should not hike our wages unilaterally, but take into consideration various issues of employees. Unfortunately, the government has approved 10 per cent hike for all employees without taking us into consideration.”

The DA should be merged with the basic salary of the employees, just like the way it has been done with the State government employees.

He said that there are over 3,000 drivers, conductors and mechanics across all 32 divisions of the KSRTC and BMTC in the state who were recruited as trainees, in the Corporation but are being made to work on full time basis.

“When these trainees are ‘caught’ for accidents, their training period is extended for a year. The trainee drivers and conductors get a meager stipend of Rs 4,000. Their wage is not hiked. The wages paid for the trainee should also be hiked. At the same time, in all the divisions, the drivers and conductors are made to work in double shift without weekly off. However, no OT is given for them,” he said.

The Samithi said the trainees should be given their probationary certificate and due salary instead of the meager stipend of Rs 4,000.

As a part of the state-wide stir, there will be a token protest by the employees in front of Gulbarga Corporation on September 7, at Hubli on September 8 and at Bangalore on September 10.

Stating that the KSRTC Mangalore division is incurring loss following the introduction of Volvo buses, he said “there are over 120 Volvo buses and the fare is not competitive. The private buses charge varying fare during weekends and week days, which we can not do. The cost for running Volvo buses are more than the ordinary buses,” Kumar said.

Kumar said that introduction of buses to routes such as Panaji besides others by withdrawing ‘Rajahamsa’ execuitive buses have been causing losses to the Mangalore division. “We have been requesting the top officials not to introduce more Volvo buses as the already introduced Volvo services have caused losses. Withdrawing Rajahamsa buses and replacing them with Volvo services have not worked in our favour,”  Kumar said. 

Introduction of new Parisara Vahini buses should be given priority instead, he added.