11 yrs later, salary balm for TSRTC employees

Hyderabad: Atlast, after a gap of 11 years, the Telangana State Road Transport Corporation (TSRTC) employees who participated in the Sakala Janula Samme in 2011 during the Telangana movement will finally get their salaries. Rs 25 crore were sanctioned to pay the salaries to over 8,000 employees.

A circular was issued by the corporation for treating the strike period from September 19, 2011 to October 17, 2011 as special casual leave instead of earned leave. The authority, with the concurrence of CM(F&A), has ordered to pay the difference of terminal leave benefit amount on or after November 21, 2022 to the employees of TSRTC who participated in Sakala Janula Samme in 2011 and retired/died between September 19, 2011 and July 26,2018, after pre-audit.

"TSRTC chairman and MLA Bajireddy Govardhan announced that Rs 25 crore will be released as strike period salary to eligible retirees along with three DA (Dearness Allowances), Dussehra festival advance. A circular was issued in the name of Chief Personnel Manager of TSRTC," informed the official.

According to the RTC Employees Federation, the government decided to declare the strike period as a holiday, but the corporation did not implement the orders immediately. After that the decision was taken, the employees who were on duty were paid leave salary and as many as 8,053 who were not on duty were not paid. After fighting to get their salaries for 11 years, the demand came to fore and the corporation has now decided to pay their salaries.

In these 11 years, at least 100 retired employees from the corporation also held a demonstration and demanded the State government to intervene and address their grievances and pay their pending salaries. "We employees participated in large numbers during the Telangana movement, but our salaries were deducted even though it was announced as holidays. Now, after 11 long years, we will finally be receiving our salaries," said Chandra Kumar, a retired employee.

Moreover, TSRTC also paid the pending DAs with the help of the Telangana State government. Out of the five pending DAs, three DAs are paid at present and for which Rs 15 crore and another Rs 20 crore was allocated for DA arrears.