After strike, Covid-19 lockdown snatches RTC employees' wages

Delay in payment of salaries for April has left employees of four state road transport corporations (RTC) in deep water even while the Transport Department has approached the government seeking funds for the same.

Most of the 1.11 lakh employees of the corporations had gone on strike from April 7 to 21. Employees said those who went to report for work on April 22 were told to get an RT-PCR test done. Before they could bring a negative report, the bus services came to a halt due to the coronavirus curfew.

“All employees worked for six days in early April. Many of those who were on strike worked for three days before the bus service was halted due to the curfew. All the employees are struggling as even the salaries for six days are yet to be paid,” said Anand, secretary of Karnataka State Road Transport Employees’ League.

The government had adopted a no-work no-pay principle and withheld payment of employees on strike.

"The revenue generation has come to a halt. The Transport Department has written to the Finance Department seeking funds to pay salaries for the next three months. The department requires Rs 325 crore every month. Once the funds are released, the workers will be paid,” the source said.

Meanwhile, more than half of the 18,000 workers who were subjected to disciplinary action that ranged from suspension to transfer and show-cause notices are still waiting for clarity. For about 3,000 trainees and probationers who were dismissed for participating in the strike, the future looks bleak.

League president R Chandrashekhar noted that the high court has given two months' time to consider the issue of dismissed employees and two weeks to resolve the issue with regard to other employees. “We are in the middle of a lockdown and the court is seized of the matter. We hope they will clear the payment for the days we have worked in April. We hope all employees, trainees and probationers will be reinstated,” he added.

Sources said the Bangalore Metropolitan Transport Corporation (BMTC) has already revoked the suspension of at least half of 3,000 employees. "In BMTC and other corporations, disciplinary actions are being reviewed on a case-to-case basis as many staff face charges of damaging vehicles, instigating or forcing others to go on strike and intimidating those who didn’t join the strike,” the source said.