Kerala State Road Transport Corporation unions' strike to hit services today

Thiruvananthapuram: Various unions in KSRTC, including the INTU-affiliated Transport Democratic Front, BMS’s State Transport Employees Sangh, and Kerala State Transport Employees Union of AITUC would go a 24-hour strike from Thursday midnight, which is likely to hit half its services. They called the strike against the management’s failure to disburse salaries and pension on time after talks with transport minister A. K. Saseendran failed. The striking unions say the government could not keep its word to pay them in time from January - on the last working day of the month or the first of next month, which did not happen.

The unions walked out of Thursday’s meeting alleging that the government failed to implement the assurances of finance minister T. M. Thomas Isaac and the transport minister. However, Mr Saseendran said the strike was unwarranted as the government had assured them to pay before February 7. The strike would only destroy the KSRTC which is already in crisis. Meanwhile, the CITU-led union gave notice to the minister for an indefinite strike from February 7, if the full salary was not paid.