Kerala State Road Transport Corporation staff rue Ockhi relief circular

Kochi: The management of cash-strapped KSRTC has issued a circular asking its 36, 000 staff to voluntarily donate a day’s salary towards Ockhi relief fund. However, this has not gone down well with the majority of its work force who had given in writing their unwillingness to contribute saying that the corporation itself is in need of a relief fiat. “It’s not that we’re against being part of the charitable act. However, our own brothers are leading a life of misery with the authorities failing to provide them pension for the last five months. Many of them are living in utter poverty and struggling to make both ends meet. The government made it clear that it would not provide the pension fund,” said an employee, a conductor, on condition of anonymity.

According to him, 80 per cent of the staff are unwilling to make the donation as a symbolic protest. In Ernakulam depot alone, nearly 150 employees expressed their unwillingness in writing. He pointed out that the uncertainty over salary had resulted in a large number of the staff leaving the job. “While a small section took the decision in search of better prospects, many others joined other jobs with almost the same pay or less. In the last two months alone, nearly 700 employees have resigned,” he said. The circular issued on December 19 asked the employees to contribute a minimum of one day’s salary for the chief minister’s relief fund. Meanwhile, a senior KSRTC officer said the contribution is voluntary.