CHENNAI: A writ plea has been made in the Madras High Court for a direction to the managing directors of the 10 Transport Corporations in the State to remit the money deducted from the workers’ salary towards provident fund and pension scheme to the respective Trusts.When the writ petition from the Labour Progressive Federation (LPF) came up before Justice K Suguna on Friday, the Government Pleader took notice. The judge posted the matter for hearing after 10 days.The LPF, which claimed itself as the sole bargaining union, contended that the amounts that had been kept in the pension fund/trust in respect of the workers of all the government transport corporations had been misappropriated, which was an offence under the IPC. The workers had no social security network in view of the fact that the entire funds running to over Rs 1,500 crore had been misappropriated by the transport corporations for the purpose of their day-to-day operations and to save over-draft interest and thus risked the workers’ retirement benefits in a manner contrary to the provisions of the Employees Provident Fund Act and its Rules. The conduct amounted to criminal breach of trust. The officials of the Corporations were, therefore, liable to be prosecuted for, petitioner said. Its interim prayer was for a direction to the government to place before the HC the true and correct report of the committee constituted under a GO dated Janaury 10 this year with regard to the amount available with the trusts.
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