PANJIM, MARCH 22
The Kadamba Transport Corporation Limited (KTCL) workers will never forget the coming ‘April Fool’ day in their lives as they are expecting a heightened salary as per sixth pay commission.
The State government has conceded to pay the wages as per sixth pay commission for 1900-odd workers of this corporation from April 1 onwards.
However, the official decision will be taken by end of this week.
The meeting chaired by Chief Minister Digambar Kamat cleared the demand, which will burden the ailing Corporation by almost Rs 30 crore as arrears and Rs 1 crore monthly salary liability.
Though the Union had demanded the implementation of the pay commission from March 15 onwards, the government decided to go ahead with it only after the ongoing Assembly session.
Transport Minister Ramakrishna Dhavlikar, KTCL chairman Aleixo Reginaldo Lourenco, Chief Secretary Sanjay Srivastava, Finance Secretary Udipta Ray, KTCL managing director Amarsen Rane, Union leaders Christopher Fonseca and Raju Mangueshkar were present for the crucial meeting.
The state owned corporation has agreed to pay the arrears par with sixth pay commission from January 2006 onwards.
Officials stated that the corporation will have to pay 25 per cent of the arrears in advance and rest would be distributed over next ten years.
The KTCL, having fleet of 450 buses, spends Rs 2.64 as a salary liability per month has 775 drivers and 650 conductors.
The state cabinet had resolved to pay the salary as per sixth pay commission to various corporations through its cabinet meeting in September 2008 but KTCL was left out of preview asking them to take up revenue earning measures.
In 1998 the KTCL management had specifically agreed that if the government extends the benefit of any pay commission to its employees in future the same will be applicable to the workforce of KTCL.
As per the agreement between the KTCL management and the workers dated on March 8, 2009, the salaries of the employees and the union workers was suppose to be revised in the month of June, 2009.
