KSRTC Workers' Woes : Kerala High Court Directs State To Release Amounts Required To Pay Salaries Of July & August Before Sep 1

The Kerala High Court, on Wednesday, in the plea moved by the KSRTC employees alleging that they were not being paid salary promptly has directed the competent authority to release the requisite amount required to the KSRTC to pay the salaries for the months of July and August along with the bonus eligible to all the employees below the managerial cadre on or before the 1st September. 

Justice Devan Ramachandran expressed his discontent at the delay even after repeated orders have been passed by the Court.

Onam is at our door, but the employees of KSRTC still find no ray of hope, for not merely festival bonuses and other perquisites but even for their salaries from the last two months.

When the matter was taken up today, Special Government Pleader Advocate Santhosh Kumar submitted before the Court that meetings of the trade unions and other stakeholders were held and were attended by two Ministers of the State of Kerala on the 17th, 18th and 22nd of this month, but no consensus could be obtained. He conceded that the Government is aware of the problem faced by the KSRTC, and the latter has made a request of Rupees 103 crores to dispense the salary for the months of July and August along with Rupees 3 Crores towards bonus. He further submitted that to get over the impasse faced by them, the KSRTC has also asked for Rupees 250 Crores as working capital as a one-time measure so as to make them self-reliant in future.  The Government is looking into the matter, and it is likely that they will take a positive approach to the request for granting Rupees 103 crores for paying the salaries of the employees so that the employees of the KSRTC  will at least be paid their salaries this Onam. 

 It will be even unconscionable for the Court to think that the low-paid employees of the KSRTC will have to remain hungry during the Onam season when the rest of the State is in a state of rejoicing after nearly two years of Covid 19 pandemic disruption. To add to this, if they are not paid their salaries in time, as repeatedly said by the Court earlier their day-to-day living and medical expenses would also suffer, remarked Justice Ramachandran. 

Indubitably, therefore, the Court observed that Rupees 103 crores which was requested by the KSRTC for playing the salaries for the months of July and August and as bonus will have to be now honoured by the Government because they can recover the same from other methods including by proceeding against the assets of the KSRTC in due course. 

Noting the submission made by the Special Government Pleader that the Government is considering the payment of the amount requested positively, the Court observed that it cannot be left to chance because if eventually, they refuse to do, the situation of the employees of the KSRTC would become intolerable.  

Resultantly the Court directed the competent authority to release the requisite amount required to the KSRTC after deducting any amount that may be with them as of now to pay the salaries for the months of July and August along with the bonus eligible to all the employees below the managerial cadre on or before the next posting. 

The matter has been adjourned on the request of the Special Government Pleader to 1st September. 

Case Title: R. Baji & Ors. v. KSRTC & Ors.

Click Here To Read/Download The Order