H.S. Manjunath, State general secretary of Centre of Indian Trade Unions (CITU), a platform of labour organisations, has said that the harassment of employees in North East Karnataka Road Transport Corporation (NEKRTC) by the management rampant. He said that drivers, conductors and other technical staff in the State-owned transport corporation were being unfairly punished with heavy fines and disciplinary actions, including suspensions for minor errors.
He was addressing a press conference at Reporters’ Guild here on Monday after the completion of Kalaburagi divisional-level jatha of employees working in State-owned transport corporations.
“A conductor was fined with Rs. 4,000 after a passenger was found travelling without a valid ticket worth Rs. 10. His monthly salary is around Rs. 12000. Some other drivers were placed under suspension for using mobiles phones when on duty, but after parking the vehicles at a bus stand. The authorities are misusing their power and position to harass the employees under them,” he said. Mr. Manjunath said that he and his colleagues had, during the 12-day jatha concluded on Monday, found employees working under extreme stress and without minimum workable conditions at depots across the Kalaburagi division.
“Drivers and conductors working continuously for more than 30 hours is normal in State-owned transport corporations. Their duty sometimes stretches to continuous 40 hours, particularly when they are on longer routes. When they reach destinations or take short break at an interval point, they don’t have proper basic amenities such as toilets, bathrooms and retiring rooms. They are forced to stand in queues in front of public toilets for relieving themselves. This is the condition in more than 95 percents of the depots that fall under NEKRTC,” he said. Mr. Manjunath pointed out that the salaries of employees working in the Corporation were hiked only by 20 per cent in the last 25 years, while the prices of essential commodities had increased. He also said that the poor implementation of labour laws in NEKRTC had led to widespread corruption in the corporation.
