Date:29/11/2008 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2008/11/29/stories/2008112952150300.htm

Karnataka - Hubli-Dharwad

‘KSRTC management exploiting employees’

Staff Correspondent

NWKRTC staff converge on Hubli

Meeting: Employees of North-west Karnataka Road Transport Corporation at a convention in Hubli on Friday.

HUBLI: Hundreds of employees of North-west Karnataka Road Transport Corporation (NWKRTC) from Hubli, Belgaum, Chikkodi, Bijapur, Bagalkot, Gadag, Haveri and Sirsi converged on “Bendre Bhoovana” here on Friday to express their solidarity with the Karnataka State Road Transport Corporation Employees’ United Struggle Committee, which has been formed to lead their agitation.

The committee has set December 15 as deadline for the Government to meet its various demands.

Addressing the convention of NWKRTC employees, conveners of the committee S. Prasannakumar, B. Jayadevaraj Urs, M.D. Doddagoudru and Mallikarjun Murthy condemned the “anti-worker” policies being followed by the management and also by successive State governments.

The speakers criticised the management of the KSRTC, which, they charged, was exploiting the employees. They said the employees had suffered for long and remained silent in spite of the exploitation, and now it was time to stand up and fight against it.

As governments conceded workers’ demand only when they took the path of agitation, it had become inevitable for them to protest and resort to strike, Mr. Prasannakumar said. “Unless we fight in unison, our demands will not be fulfilled,” he said.

Presiding over the convention, convener of the committee and senior worker’s leader K.S. Sharma said that exploitation of employees had continued because the workers had silently tolerated it. He said that the committee had decided to reject any unilateral decision on pay revision of the employees by the management. Only pay revision through negotiation with employees’ representatives was acceptable to the committee, he added.

The committee had already conveyed to the Government its demands such as cancellation of the trainee system, amalgamation of the four transport corporations, holding elections for giving recognition to trade unions and putting an end to exploitation of staff, he said.

Dr. Sharma said the committee would be holding another convention in Gulbarga on December 12.