Thiruvananthapuram: The salary crisis in the Kerala State Road Transport Corporation(KSRTC) continues to remain unresolved. The employees of the public transporter have not yet received their salaries for the month of April even as the government authorities seem to have washed their hands of the mess.
Though the labour unions in the KSRTC owing allegiance to the ruling Left Democratic Front dispensation gave a letter to the Chief Minister requesting an early solution to the issue, it fell on deaf ears.
No immediate solution to the crisis is on the horizon with the Chief Minister and the ministers busy campaigning for the Thrikkakara bypoll.
Fresh loans difficult
There are many hurdles in availing fresh bank loans for paying up salaries since the existing loan amount to be repaid by the KSRTC comes to around Rs 3,000 crore. Moreover, there is a stipulation that during the existence of a loan raised through consortium, no other loan should be availed of.
A decision on taking additional loan for overcoming the present crisis will be taken only after KSRTC Managing Director Biju Prabhakar returns to the State Capital after his foreign jaunt.
Unions upset with Raju
The employee unions went on a defensive mode after Transport Minister Antony Raju reiterated his criticism against them on Sunday.
"The haughty KSRTC unions have misled the employees. They should realise that resorting to strike is not a panacea for getting salaries. There is a huge gap between the income and expenses in the KSRTC. The government and the management have never said that the salary will not be given," Raju said.
The minister also flayed the unions for arm-twisting tactics.
"The government had intervened when issues cropped up earlier. But the unions did not trust the government. A solution will emerge only if the union leaders shed their mindset that they can get things done by threatening the government. The unions should desist from resorting to agitations that inconvenience passengers," Raju stated.
CITU meet may consider issue
With the crisis the unions fear desperate, unpaid employees would quit on a large-scale.
The issue may figure in the CITU State General Council meeting being held in Thiruvananthapuram.
The CITU-affiliated Kerala State Road Transport Employees Association (KSRTEA) is likely to raise the issue at the meeting, which is to be attended by various CPM leaders. They may also bring to the attention of the meeting the statement made by the Transport Minister against the employees.
