Salary distribution in KSRTC from today onwards, drivers and conductors will be paid first, rest later

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The salary for the month of May will be distributed in KSRTC from Friday onwards. The salary will be distributed in a phased manner. The drivers and conductors will be given salaries initially and the rest will be paid later. The procedures were speeded up in order to prevent unions, including pro-government unions, from launching strikes in protest of the indefinite delay in the payment of salaries. The transport minister has also directly intervened in the matter. Attempts have been made to pay the salaries by taking an overdraft due to lack of funds.

Meantime, the unions are not in favour of providing salary in a phased manner. They have demanded to pay the complete amount altogether. The court had also criticized the KSRTC management for the delay in salary distribution. The high court had said that it was discriminatory to pay salaries to top officials in the event of non-payment of salaries to ordinary employees. The court warned that it could not pretend not to see the plight of ordinary employees and added that it would not hesitate to block the practice of paying salaries only to top officials. The high court intervened in the issue while considering a plea filed by a group of KSRTC employees.