Bus drivers express dismay over trainees stipend

BANGALORE: Members of the Akhila Karnataka Rajya Raste Sarige Nowkarara Mahamandala stated that all the four state transport corporations were employing nearly 33,000 employees as trainees on a stipend between Rs 2,000-Rs 5,000 per month. “This is close to 1/3rd of the total workforce. They are made to do regular work, are fined like regular employees and after a training period of 2 years have to undergo probation for 2 more years,” said K S Sharma, president of the federation. He pointed out that the total salary received by the lowest rank in the corporations was 9,000 per month for a class ‘D’ attender. The federation is protesting against the alleged arbitrary pay hikes made by the corporations without consulting the workers. “There must be elections to recognise the negotiating body which represents the workers, they cannot decide wage hikes,” Sharma said. The members of the federation on Friday staged a protest outside the KSRTC office in Shantinagar, and submitted a memorandum to BMTC MD Srinivas.