RTC strike from June 11
Hyderabad: After failing to get any positive announcement from Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao on the State Formation Day, the Telangana Mazdoor Union (TMU) of TSRTC has decided to go on strike from June 11.
A meeting of the central committee of the TMU was held on Monday where the decision was taken. Speaking to media-persons after the meeting, TMU general secretary E Ashwadhama Reddy said the central committee had unanimously decided to go for a strike against the attitude of the management. “We will go on strike from the first service of June 11. In the run up to the strike date, the staff would participate in protest meetings,” said Ashwadhama Reddy. The TMU leaders would be meeting the other unions on June 7.
The Chief Minister had earlier termed the proposed strike of the workers’ union unjustified. He opined that the corporation had already taken loans to the tune of Rs 2,800 crore and in such a situation it is not proper for the employees to demand pay revision.
The TMU leader said the pay revision of the RTC staff has been pending for the last 14 months. He alleged that the government was delaying decision on the pay revision even after several requests from the unions.
“The government is having step motherly treatment towards the RTC and the management is adopting negligent attitude towards pay revision,” alleged Ashwadhama Reddy. The salaries are not reaching on time from April onwards, he alleged.
The workers would take up dharnas wearing black badges in front of depots/ unit offices during the lunch hour. Similarly, on June 8, they would take up one day mass hunger strike at all the regional offices. The TMU leaders expressed concern over suspension and termination of employees even for small mistakes. The leaders alleged that the government failed to control the illegal transportation by the private operators.
The union leaders said that it was for the first time in a democratic country the labour department did not call the unions for talks even after giving strike notice.