Goemkarponn Desk
Panaji: The workers & staff employees of Kadamba Transport Corporation Ltd. (KTCL) held a One Day Protest Hunger strike on 22 February, 2021 before the Office of the Labour Commissioner, Government of Goa at Shramshakti Bhavan, Panaji, Goa to protest inordinate delay of the management of KTCL & Government to resolve their long pending demands
The day long protest hunger strike resonated with slogans demanded the following:
* Immediate signing of the wage agreement with KTC Drivers & Allied Employees Union
• Payment of the pending arrears of 7″ pay commission to KTCL employees; Regularization of all badli drivers and conductors who have completed 2 years of service:
• Immediate stop to giving break in service to badli drivers and conductors and probation period to be restricted to 6 months
* Payment of minimum salary of Rs. 25,500 per month to badli drivers and conductors w.e.f.01/01/2016.
* Promotions to be accorded to all the eligible workers
• Payment of full provident fund benefits;
* Increase the sanctioned strength of drivers and conductors from existing 658 to 758 and conductors from 579 to 679.
• No outsourcing of New Electrical Buses to any Third Party contractor.
The protesters said that More than 500 vacancies have arisen in KTCL among the KTCL staff and employees from the year 2016 onwards by way of attrition viz retirement, death, disability and resignation from the services of KTCL At present there are 510 bad drivers and conductors on the regular rolls of KTCL.
All these workers eminently deserve to be regularized and brought on the permanent rolls of KTCL since they perform the same jobs and operate the same schedules as permanent KTCL employees, said AITUC leader Christopher Fonseca.
The KTC Drivers and Allied Employees Association have called upon the Chief Minister, Dr. Pramod Sawant and Transport Minister. Mauvin Godinho to immediately intervene and resolve the above pending issues of KTCL workers without any delay
The One Day Protest was addressed by Com Christopher Fonseca, General Secretary Shashikant Gaonkar – President and President of AITUC, Com Pasanna Utagi alongwith Atmaram Gawas and Chandrakant Chodankar Today’s hunger strike has further resolved to intensify their democratic struggle to achieve the long pending demands.