APSRTC removes 7,500 outsourced staff

Amaravati: Around 7,500 outsourced and contract employees are reported to have been asked not to come to duties in APSRTC, amidst the crisis the corporation plunged in due to Covid-19 pandemic. The development comes just four months after merging the APSRTC employees into the state government by creating public transport department for the purpose.

The office of RTC vice-chairman and MD Madireddy Pratap's office said to have sent a message to this effect on Friday. In a WhatsApp message to depot managers, the office said, "In view of planning conductor-less operation for all buses, there will be excess conductors. They shall be redeployed at needed places duly withdrawing the outsourced employees to the extent of excess conductors available." RTC has around 50,000 regular employees.

It further instructed utilise the services of regular drivers who are found excess in place of outsourced drivers who are being utilized for Badi Bassulu, light vehicles or parking duties withdrawing them to the extent of excess drivers available.

RTC employees' union leaders and outsourced employees said this is nothing but throwing them onto the road amid crisis.

RTC officials said in the internal communication, the MD observed that in the wake of Covid-19 pandemic, the organisation had been facing financial crisis. After optimum utilisation of existing regular employees only we can look into engaging the outsourced or contract employees," Pratap reportedly said.

Condemning the dismissal, the APSRTC Employees' Union said it was against the instructions of the Union government. Valisetti Damodar Rao, general secretary of the union, said in a memorandum to minister for transport Perni Nani that the Union government had clearly mentioned in its guidelines that no employee should be removed from the service in both private and public organisations because of financial problems during the lockdown period.

He maintained that at least 7,500 families will be on streets with this single decision of the APSRTC management. The government has not even released the salaries of these employees for the month of April. Damodar Rao further said that there were still 7,800 vacancies in the APSRTC, which are needed to be filled.

K V S Narasimha Rao, Krishna district president, PTD-YSR Employees Association, also condemned the proposal for removal of the outsourced and contract employees in the name of financial problems during the corona pandemic.