RTC staff told to sign on dotted line for stopping union activities

Hyderabad: RTC workers, who were elated when Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao invited them to join duty without any conditions and shared lunch with them in a bonhomie meeting, are now facing a predicament as they have received a note from the deport managers to give an undertaking that they will not be part of any union.

According to the employees, the deport managers want them to give the undertaking addressed to the Labour Commissioner that there was no need for any unions in RTC and that the 'Workers Council' which the government proposes to form would take care of the welfare of the employees and resolve their issues.

The note further said that they should also mention that the union elections be postponed by two years.

The employees say that the depot managers were now pressurising them to submit the letters as per the format they wanted. This move has been opposed by all the unions.

The unions have asked the workers not to sign any such letter. Workers' JAC Convener E Ashwadhama Reddy said that they would take up protest at all the depots on Friday against the management.

He called upon the workers to make the dharna a success. JAC1 leader K Hanumantu said that there is no official order regarding removal of unions in the corporation and how can the management insist the workers to sign such letter.

"The workers are facing many problems even after the presence of unions in the corporation. The workers should think what will happen if there are no unions.

It is not proper for the management to prepare action plan to harass the workers in the name of workers council," said Hanumantu.

If the workers sign on such letters, they would be responsible for problems they may face in future, he added.

In response to the letter of the depot managers, the union leaders have released another letter which states that the corporation should have unions for solving the issues of the workers and not workers council because there is no legality for the council.

Labour Commissioner should take up elections to the unions as per the Industrial Dispute Act 1947.

The term of recognised union ended in 2018 and hence the Labour Commissioner should conduct elections immediately, the letter by the unions added.