Workers of the four road transport corporations (RTCs) in the State will get only half of their salary for May in the coming week, while the State government and the corporations chalk out a road map to mobilise resources to pay the second instalment. A couple of RTCs are even planning to deploy their workforce on rotation as per demand.
There are nearly 1.25 lakh workers employed in the Karnataka State Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC), North Eastern Karnataka Road Transport Corporation (NEKRTC), North Western Karnataka Road Transport Corporation (NWKRTC), and Bangalore Metropolitan Transport Corporation (BMTC).
With most bus operations hit, the corporations are dependent on the government to pay salaries, senior officials in the RTCs told The Hindu. All the four corporations paid full salaries in one instalment for April as the government released money towards it. However, problem has risen for payment of salaries for May as the government has sanctioned only half the salary bill presently. The salary bill of the four corporations comes up to around ₹366 crore a month, sources said.
Shivayogi C. Kalasad, KSRTC managing director, said while all the employees would get half of their salary as the first instalment in the coming week, efforts were on to raise resources and work out the modalities for paying the second instalment.
“The corporation is incurring more loss by plying buses than by not plying them. The demand has dropped to less than 30% of the usual. So, we are considering deploying our workforce on rotational basis, weekly or fortnightly. We are deliberating on the mode of payment for the days the workers will not be on the roster. We are considering deferred payment, leave adjustments, among other proposals,” he said.
Unions threaten stir
Workers’ unions have rejected these proposals and demanded that the government pay the full salary of all workers till normality returns. They have also warned of a protest if the corporations go ahead with the proposals on staggered payment and leave without pay.
H.V. Anantha Subbarao, president of the KSRTC Staff and Workers’ Federation, said the unions would reject all proposals of any deferred payment of salary or leave without pay. He rued that neither the government nor the managements of the RTCs bothered to consult workers and the unions before taking decisions on salary payment.
In a statement released on Monday, the federation argued that one of the reasons for the corporations to be cash-strapped is the outstanding ₹2,960 crore the State government has with the four corporations towards students bus passes for the past five years. “Even if the government pays us interest for the outstanding amount, the corporations will be able to pay the salaries,” Mr. Subbarao told The Hindu.
“How can the workers survive on half the salary? It is not just a legal issue, but a moral issue as well. How can the government ask other employers to ensure wages for workers, when the government itself has resorted to such methods. There is no question of accepting any such proposals. We will oppose this tooth and nail,” he said.
Meanwhile, C. Shikha, BMTC managing director, said the corporation had got half of the salary bill released from the government. “We are trying to raise our own resources to pay the rest. We will take a call on the modalities this week,” she said.
