VIJAYAWADA: The Public Transport Department (APSRTC) employees’ associations have decided to take part in the ongoing agitation of government staff and also the indefinite strike call given by the PRC Struggle Committee from February 7.
Speaking to mediapersons along with the PRC Struggle Committee leaders here on Friday, NMU general secretary Srinivasa Rao and Employees Union general secretary Damodar said all the RTC unions are ready to go on indefinite strike from February 7 and operation of bus services will be stopped. Asserting that the RTC unions will play a crucial role in the agitation, the leaders said the transport employees were not benefited with the merger of the corporation with the State government.
The PRC Struggle Committee leaders did not attend talks for the third day even as Ministers Botcha Satyanarayana and Perni Venkataramaiah (Nani) and Government Advisor Sajjala Ramakrishna Reddy waited in the Secretariat for them. The Ministers Committee criticised the union leaders for their ‘rigid stance’ on the issue.
The Ministers made it clear that they will not wait for the union leaders henceforth. They will hold talks with union leaders only when the latter come forward to get the issue resolved amicably. Asserting that employees are part of the government, Botcha maintained that not even `1 would decline in the salaries of staff as per the new pay scales. The employees could know whether their salaries increased or decreased only after getting their pay revision. He refuted the charge of some union leaders that the government was creating a rift among employees’ associations.
In an informal interaction with mediapersons, Sajjala said salaries will be credited to the employees’ accounts as per the new pay scales for January. The government would have considered paying old wages as demanded if employees’ union leaders attended talks with the Ministers Committee, he said.
The PRC Struggle Committee leaders asserted that they are ready for talks once the government concedes their three demands, which include keeping the PRC GOs in abeyance, crediting old salaries for January and making the Ashutosh Mishra Committee report public. They accused the government of humiliating employees by blaming them responsible for the stalemate.