Employees of Kadamba Transport Corporation Limited (KTCL) reportedly held a protest at the Corporation’s office at Porvorim recently to press for their demands and served a strike notice to the Corporation, State Government and Labour Commission demanding that their demands be fulfilled. The demands include salary arrears of 34 months and Provident Fund restoration at 12 per cent. Another demand is that the services of workers who have been working for more than 10 years on a temporary basis be regularized immediately. KTC has been expanding its services, including the launch of "Smart City" bus services in and around Panaji. Recently 48 EV buses have been acquired by the corporation under the Smart City mission. Goans have by and large depended on KTC for their everyday travel needs. Hence a strike by the staff of the corporation is unfathomable. It could literally bring Goa to a standstill. The government needs to resolve the demands and issues raised in the notice for a March 19 strike as it will potentially take hundreds of KTCL buses off the roads. This will leave many Goans who are dependent on these buses for their daily commute stranded.
