RTC pay talks prolong

Hyderabad: The members of the Cabinet sub-committee formed to look into the pay revision of the RTC staff were discussing the demands with the recognised union of the corporation Telangana Mazdoor Union (TMU) when the last reports came in on Sunday night.  

The Cabinet sub-committee led by Finance Minister Eatala Rajender had meeting with (TMU) at the Secretariat on Sunday. The ministers are learnt to have been discussing financial situation of the corporation and also the revenues. 

Ministers G Jagadish Reddy, P Mahender Reddy, RTC Chairman S Satyanarayana, MLA V Srinivas Goud were present. TMU leaders E Ashwathama Reddy and Thomas Reddy represented the TMU in the meeting. The TMU leaders handed over the memorandum to the committee and left the meeting hall. 

The TMU leaders have been demanding 50 per cent fitment and had given notice to the management with 15 other demands. The TMU leaders had said that they would withdraw the notice only if the government gives reply in writing.

The TMU leaders tried to overcome the allegations that it was with the management and took up ‘Chalo Bus Bhavan’ program and the leaders threatened that they would not hesitate to take up ‘Chalo Pragathi Bhavan’ if the government fails to fulfil their demands.

The TMU has declared that they would take up strike any time after May 21. Almost all the Unions in the RTC gave strike notice to the management for the pay revision, which they said was pending since April 1, 2017. Telangana RTC JAC has sought 19 per cent more fitment than the State government employees for equality in pay scales.

The JAC leaders who were not in the meeting gave a memorandum with their charter of demands to the Transport Minister Mahender Reddy. The JAC leaders alleged that the conductors and drivers were being removed for small mistakes and the TMU leaders were not responding on this. 

The salaries are delayed and credited into the accounts on 4th of the month. The other Unions alleged that TMU had failed to do their duties. JAC leader E Raji Reddy said that the management should provide 24,000 as basic pay.

He said that pay revision was not the reason for the Rs 400 Crore losses of the Corporation but the rise in prices of diesel and not allowing the management to increase the ticket fares. The leaders wanted master scale to the RTC employees on the lines of State government employees.