The Hindu : KSRTC stir from February 19

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Wednesday, Feb 04, 2004

Kerala

Kerala

KSRTC stir from February 19

By Our Special Correspondent

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM, FEB 3. Trade unions in the Kerala State Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC) are preparing to launch an indefinite strike from the midnight of February 19, even as the Transport Minister, R. Balakrishna Pillai, today admitted his helplessness in meeting their demands.

A joint action council of trade unions affiliated to the CITU, AITUC and the BMS, in addition to the KSRTC Labour Union, is holding a convention in Kochi tomorrow to formally announce its decision to launch the strike. The council's convener, K. K. Divakaran, said the unions had already decided on the strike and what remained was the formal announcement tomorrow. According to him, even the pro-Government unions are expected to join the strike.

Mr. Balakrishna Pillai, at a press conference convened here today to give his views on current politics, touched upon the topic of the KSRTC strike. He said the KSRTC was in no position to meet the unions' demand for releasing the arrears of dearness allowance due to the employees. Their protest against privatisation of some of the nationalised bus routes in the State too was not acceptable. He said the financial position of the KSRTC was not encouraging and the Government was not giving it any budgetary support also.

Mr. Divakaran alleged that the measures taken by this Government during the last two-and-a-half years had served only to complicate the crisis for the KSRTC. Several benefits enjoyed by the employees were cut in the name of financial difficulties. At the same time, profitable nationalised bus routes were being privatised one by one to favour the private bus operators. The unions in the private transport sector too have announced an indefinite strike from February 23.

These unions include the CITU, AITUC, INTUC, BMS and the STU. A meeting of these unions held here today decided to conduct propaganda programmes at the district and taluk levels all over the State to put to the people the reasons for their proposed strike.

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