CHENNAI: Better remain indoors or take your private vehicle if you have plans for this weekend. For, the impasse between the transport workers unions and the State government is expected to continue on Saturday with both sides hardening their stance. At least 70% of the buses did not ply on Friday.
Even the Madras High Court’s interim order terming the strike illegal did not seem to soften the agitating trade union leaders. “When judges and civil service officials get a three-fold salary hike, why is the government delaying our demands?” wondered CITU leader A Soundararajan. He said the unions will challenge the High Court order on Monday.
“Transport staffers should work with service mentality… Those who cause hindrance to public will face legal action,” warned Transport Minister M R Vijayabhaskar. He accused a few unions of instigating the workers, adding the offer made by the government was after a “compassionate consideration” of the demands. No further revision will be made, he asserted.
While the government has offered to increase the basic pay to 2.41 times (multiplication factor) for employees with at least six years of service, unions want it scaled up to 2.57.
HumOngous crowd at Chennai’s MRTS stations
For the 50 lakh commuters who normally use MTC buses in Chennai, it was a bad day. They took other modes of transport like MRTS train service, which saw huge patronage. Long distance travellers drove their way to work on two-wheelers; some hitchhiked
Ola, Uber don’t jack up rates
Share autos made a killing, jacking up their fare. Private buses milked the opportunity by plying on MTC routes. Some software firms lent their buses to bridge the gap. Interestingly, online taxi services like Ola and Uber behaved, instead of going in for surge pricing as they normally do
Private town buses deployed
Metro Rail service carried double the number of people it normally does. At CMBT, 90% of TNSTC buses and SETC buses did not ply. Govt engaged private town buses to take passengers to Villupuram, Cuddalore, Pondy, Tiruvannamalai