THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: A pro-UDF union has called for a strike in KSRTC on February 23. The strike has been called demanding the withdrawal from forming 'SWIFT' and the implementation of a pay revision.

The ministerial-level talks held on Friday with employees' unions over the formation of Swift, an independent long-distance services company in KSRTC, failed. Thomas Isaac suggested that if the unions object to the formation of the Swift Company, it can be made a fully state-owned society. The Finance Minister made the proposal in the presence of Transport Minister AK Sasindran and KSRTC CMD Biju Prabhakar during a meeting with union representatives.

The Finance Minister said that KSRTC could not move forward with government assistance alone without reforms. The CITU said at the meeting that it would co-operate with the reforms by ensuring re-entry for the dismissed and employment and salaries for the existing ones. But TDF and BMS are of the view that neither the company nor the society can be accepted due to the independent stand. At the same time, the government is of the view that if there is no compromise on the part of the unions regarding the formation of a company or society, it will not have to give in to the demand for pay revision and regularisation of temporary employees.