AMTS staff apprehensive about salary cuts

The AMTS staffers working in various departments are expecting less than half of their salaries in June. Mangal Patel,a supervisor with AMTS,said,“When more increments were given,people did not know that it was an overpayment. Now,we will be in trouble as we will not be getting the expected salaries. This will hit our monthly expenses.”

The AMTS had formed a special committee to tally the accounts of all departments as part of the rectification work for the extra amount paid in the last instalment. But neither the counting nor the tally work is over.

Pravin Patel,the chairman of the corporation’s Transport Committee,said,“Counting for the workshop department is continuing. The committee has finished the counting for other departments. As reduction in the money to balance the extra money paid earlier was the only objective of the exercise,this time the staffers may get very less salaries in hand.”

Patel said the difference in the salary of the staff this time would be at least by 10 to 12 per cent. Incidentally,it was the workshop department that had brought the overpayment mess to the notice of the AMTS authorities. The overpayment had happened not only in case of increments but also in regular salaries.

Patel said,“As salaries were also affected,a certain percentage was deducted from the employees’ salaries every month. The staff working in departments like driver-conductor,workshop and offices will face the maximum crunch.”

Nasirmiya Chandmiya,a driver and a member of the General Mazdoor Union,said,“The whole mess has been a big challenge for us. Every month we have been losing some part of our salary. And next month,we would hardly take away Rs 4000 to Rs 5000 home.”

He said for us a hit on regular salary money is important as increments will be given to only those who have finished 9,18 and 27 years of work in the department.