Corporation, Municipal staff stage protest

KOCHI: Demanding that the State Government directly pay the salary and pension of the staff working with various municipalities and corporations in the state, the Kerala Municipal and Corporation Staff Association (KMCSA) held state-wide protests on Thursday.At present, the municipalities and corporations pay their employees from their own funds. Stating that 42 out of the total 65 local bodies in the state are reeling under acute financial crisis, the association said that the employees were not being paid their salaries on time. Instead, they are being paid in instalments. They also pointed out that the 300-odd employees who retired after March 31, 2011, are yet to get their pension. The association also alleged that most of the municipalities and corporations in the state pay their employees from the funds allocated for various developmental projects. As a result of the protests, various municipal and corporation offices remained closed. The employees held protest demonstrations in front of the Kochi Corporation office. KMCSA state vice-president B Sasikumar, unit president M R Santhosh and unit secretary O V Jayaraj led the demonstrations.