Telangana RTC employees to go on strike from May 6

Hyderabad, April 7 (IANS) Telangana State Road Transport Corporation (TGSRTC) employees have decided to go on strike from May 6 to press for their long-pending demands.

The Joint Action Committee of TGSRTC employees on Monday announced that they will go on strike from midnight of May 6.

The JAC has served strike notices to TGSRTC Managing Director V. C. Sajjanar and Labour Commissioner.

The notice lists 21 demands, including the merger of TGSRTC employees with the government, implementation of two Pay Revision Commission reports, payment of Rs. 2,700 crore towards Credit Cooperative Society and Provident Fund of the employees.

The JAC leaders said the Congress government has failed to implement the promises it had made to the employees in the 2023 Assembly elections.

JAC chairman E. Venkanna said that though the Congress had promised to merge the RTC employees with the government, it has failed to honour the promise after coming to power.

The JAC also demanded that the government revive the trade unions as was promised in the party’s election manifesto.

The TGSRTC employees had earlier decided to go on strike from February 9, but it was postponed in view of the Model Code of Conduct that came into force for MLC elections.

The JAC on January 27 served a strike notice on the management while pressing for 21 demands, including its merger with the state government, first proposed through a government order in 2013.

The JAC demanded that the management take expedited measures to fulfil the promises made to RTC employees in the election manifesto, revision of salaries and allowances pending since 2021 and payment of dues from the 2017 revision to retired employees. They also called for recruitment that was stopped a decade ago.

The employees’ unions also demanded that RTC should buy electric buses and operate them as opposed to the current practice of contract, operations and maintenance by private players.

The JAC brought to the notice of the management that the employees face work-related harassment and insecurities. Financial stress and work burden have also taken a toll on drivers, it said.

The employees’ unions also urged the state government to issue smart cards to eligible women for free bus rides under the Mahalakshmi scheme instead of the zero tickets. They said the management should increase the number of buses to meet the increased passenger demand.

Revocation of cases filed against employees who participated in protests during the 2019 RTC strike was also among the demands made by the JAC.

They wanted the government to allocate 3 per cent of the funds in the Budget for RTC’s development.

--IANS

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