Kerala HC directs KSRTC to pay pending dues to employees before Onam
The salary for July has not yet been paid to more than 24,000 KSRTC employees. The majority of the workers claim they are having financial difficulties.
FollowKochi: The Kerala High Court on Wednesday asked the Kerala State Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC) to pay all dues to its employees before Onam. The court instructed the corporation to pay the arrears for the past two months first.
"The employees must receive their entire July salary before Onam. On Onam, you can't leave them hungry," the court said. The court ruled that KSRTC was required to pay the employee's first salary installment.
"We'll pay the entire dues if the government grants us Rs 130 crore," the KSRTC told the court.
The court judgement comes as the government works to appease KSRTC staff members after trade unions declared a strike for August 26 as a show of protest over the salary crisis. On Wednesday, trade union discussions will be held by Transport Minister Antony Raju, Labour Minister V Sivankutty, and Finance Minister K N Balagopal.
Prior to Onam, the government last day offered a bonus and festive allowance for government employees. However, even after 15 days, neither KSRTC nor the finance department took any action to pay the employees of the public transport system. The first installment of pay is typically given by the 5th of every month.
