K’taka govt to lay off permanent RTC employees?

Bengaluru: The State government is planning to take stringent action against the striking RTC employees including firing them from their permanent jobs.

Some 2,000 buses operated on Saturday after a section of the employees returned to work heeding to the government’s appeal and the threat of initiation of dismissal procedures against striking trainees and probationary employees.

On Saturday, the RTC’s notified all permanent BMTC employees above 55 years of age to submit a fitness certificate before April 12.

Sources have said that this move is possibly to lay off permanent employees.

“Such an action is allowed under KSRTC’s Terms of Recruitment and in the employee contract. If the employees stubbornly continue their strike then even permanent employees will be terminated from service,” said KSRTC Managing Director Shivayogi.

However, R Chandrashekhar, the president of the employees union, has stated that there is no question of employees taking back the strike.

Meanwhile, 88 employees of the KSRTC were transferred across and 118 employees of the BMTC were laid off on Saturday.

The total number of layoffs to date from the beginning of the strike has increased to 334.