The Hindu : Karnataka / Bangalore News : 1,500 workers of transport firms facing a bleak future

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Friday, Dec 29, 2006
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Karnataka

Karnataka - Bangalore

1,500 workers of transport firms facing a bleak future

T.S. Ranganna

RAISING SLOGANS: Drivers of private buses attached to the Bangalore Metropolitan Transport Corporation staging a demonstration in Bangalore on Thursday seeking proper payment of salary and other facilities. — Photo: K. Gopinathan

BANGALORE: The services of 1,500 drivers and mechanics of Amanath Motor Owners' Cooperative Society Limited and a few other private companies that hire buses to the Bangalore Metropolitan Transport Corporation (BMTC) are likely to be terminated in a few months when the agreement between the corporation and the companies will end.

The system of hiring private buses was introduced in 2001 by the then Transport Minister P.G.R. Sindhia despite opposition from the KSRTC Staff and Workers' Federation.

The drivers and mechanics have been on strike for the past 80 days seeking proper payment of salary and other allowances and facilities. They alleged that the society had not deposited the money deducted from their salary with the provident fund, ESI and insurance companies.

According to R. Sreenivas, general secretary of the Amanath Motor Owners' Cooperative Society-BMTC Employees' Union, the management did not bother to fulfil the promises made to the striking workers and did not care to hold talks with them for two months.

Mr. Sreenivas alleged that the society had been deducting Rs. 500 to Rs. 1,000 from the salary of the workers as recovery towards advance even though they had not taken any such advance. The society, he alleged, was planning to sell 375 buses, which had been stationed at four of its depots in the city following the strike. Mr. Srinivas demanded that the BMTC acquire 665 buses in case the companies, including the society, failed to operate them.

M.T. Sharanappa, who is in-charge of accident cases in the society, alleged that the society had collected Rs. 50 from each driver towards payment of fines. But the society did not pay any fine, he added.

Joint secretary of the federation S. Nagaraj said the BMTC should have come to the rescue of the workers and urged it to order the society to pay wage arrears.

Meanwhile, the Chief Traffic Manager of the BMTC has issued circulars to all depot managers to operate buses on the routes given to the society in the wake of the strike.

Meanwhile, managing director of the society A.N. Nadaf denied the charges made by the union and termed them "frivolous".

He said all statutory payments to workers had been made till the day they went on strike.

The workers were being "misled" by the union that promised to get them salary on a par with regular BMTC employees, he said.

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