RTC regularises services of over 350 contract workers

Hyderabad: The TSRTC management has regularised services of over 350 contract employees including 296 drivers and 63 conductors even as the controversy is continuing with workers involving in arguments with depot managers over signing of letters stating there was no need of unions in the corporation.

According to the officials, the chief minister during a meeting with the RTC employees made an announcement that employees working on temporary basis would be made permanent in the TSRTC.

In view of the orders of the chief minister, the management has accorded permission to regularise 296 contract drivers and 63 contract conductors, who are on rolls and completed 240 working days as on the date of regularisation, said the official.

The contract employees should be on rolls on the date of regularisation, which is December 1, 2019. The other employees whose services are falling short of 240 working days would be regularised on the day they complete 240 working days.

The management has also given employment to 33 eligible children of deceased employees, who died during the strike period. The official said that ex-gratia was also given to the family members of the deceased.

The district collectors have paid ex-gratia of Rs 2 lakh each to 22 families of the 38 deceased employees so far. The remaining families of deceased employees would be paid in a day or two.

Apart from this, the officials gave orders to adequately build new restrooms, toilets at depots, change over points in Hyderabad city by December 15 compulsorily for all lady employees of the Corporation, the official informed.

However, the controversies are refusing to die down in the Corporation as the depot managers are pressurising the staff and the employees, who are opposing the orders.

The employees have been seen arguing with the depot managers that there were no written orders for them to sign the letters stating that there was no need for the unions and trade union elections can be postponed for two years.

An RTC worker said that the chief minister during a meeting with the RTC workers opined that there will be no elections for two years, but he did not insist the workers to sign any letter.

The management without any official orders is pressurising the workers every day. "If the management wants to know the opinion of the workers, they can go for ballot and seek the opinion of the workers.

As per the Act, the workers can have unions and we are going as per our right," said the RTC worker.