Pay cut for KSRTC staff not meeting duty target

Kochi: After reintroducing the punching system despite union's pressure, the Kerala State Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC) management has now taken stiff measures to ensure that no bus trips get cancelled due to unavailability of staff.

"We're mandatorily implementing an earlier order under which empanelled conductors and drivers not performing minimum 20 duties a month would have to surrender Rs 1,000 the next month from their salary or security deposit. Repeating the offense for another four times will see the staff being dismissed from service. So far the direction was hardly implemented. But now we're determined to implement the same," said K.M. Sree Kumar, executive director, administration.

The management has asked the depot heads to classify all services under four category - A, B, C and D based on revenue collection. "Under no circumstances should the schedules under A and B category (high-income collection) be cancelled," a new order in this regard said.

According to sources the management has found absenteeism rate especially high among empanelled staff. "Most of them would get engaged in other part-time jobs too and fail to report for duty on certain days without any previous intimation," said a person in the know.

After its initial attempt to introduce biometric punching backfired with unions opposing the move, new managing director M.G. Rajamanickam recently issued an order to all offices to strictly adhere to the direction, warning that the staff salaries would be linked to it.