Hyderabad: A joint action committee (JAC) of TGSRTC workers unions have served a strike notice to the public transporter’s management, seeking action on their 21 demands within 21 days. If the state government fails to act on their demands, buses will go off the roads in the state.
The major demands include the implementation of two pending pay revisions, clearing the public transporter’s debt, enhancing budget allocation, new recruitment, and reimbursement of provident fund amount used by the corporation. The JAC also wants the government to buy electric vehicles and hand them over to the RTC.
Under the Mahalakshmi scheme, the JAC wants smart cards to be implemented. The government should address the breadwinner scheme and medical invalidation cases. Employees and their families should be allowed to avail treatment in super-specialty hospitals.
The public transporter has around 41,000 employees on its rolls, who are considered among the lowest-paid employees in the state government sector.
If the RTC employees go on strike, the state may face major disruption as 58.13 lakh people opt for bus travel every day. About 65 per cent of the bus passengers are women.
Speaking to Deccan Chronicle. RTC JAC vice-chairman Thomas Reddy said, “As promised by the Congress during the Assembly elections, the RTC should be merged with the government. Our key demands include providing retirement benefits, announcing the 2021 PRC, and clearing 2017 dues. The government should buy electric buses and provide them to the RTC.”
“The management should respond within 15 days, and fulfil our demands,” he said, adding that they will meet all political parties seeking their support.
