Rights panel directs KSRTC to resolve employees’ issues

The State Human Rights Commission has directed the management of the Kerala State Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC) to take favourable action towards the issues of the employees if they could be resolved without much expense. Responding to a petition filed by Haja Salim, president of the Sulthan Bathery unit of Kerala State Transport Drivers’ Union, on the alleged human rights violations against the employees, judicial member of the Commission K. Baijunath asked the management to take the employees into confidence to seek creative solutions and improve the functioning of the Corporation.

The petition claimed that KSRTC employees were undergoing mental stress and were succumbing to serious ailments and untimely death. Unscientific driving schedules, use of vehicles that lack proper maintenance, withholding of salary and other benefits, recovering damages to vehicles that are covered by insurance from employees, fining them for unprecedented leave, and transfers to remote locations have been cited as the reason for their plight. The petitioner alleged that the approach from KSRTC has not been favourable in these matters.

Meanwhile, the Managing Director of KSRTC has submitted a report to the Commission claiming that the Corporation has taken steps to provide the salaries on time.

The report claims that driving on roads with heavy traffic, caused by rise in vehicle population was the reason for the stress and resulted in accidents. The MD suggests introducing more buses to strengthen the public transport system.