HYDERABAD: All buses in Telangana and Andhra Pradesh will go off roads from Wednesday as RTC employees’ unions in the two States are launching an indefinite strike demanding 43 per cent fitment on a par with government employees. As a contingency plan, the APSRTC is considering the option of using private drivers to run the buses.
The corporation is ready to grant 27 per cent salary hike, by passing on the burden to the people. But employees’ unions rejected the offer. In fact, the strike threat was made way back in April itself by the APSRTC Employees’ Union and the RTC Telangana Mazdoor Union at a public meeting. Talks between the Andhra Pradesh cabinet sub-committee and the union leaders failed Tuesday. These developments have come just a week before the corporation is to be divided between Telangana and Andhra Pradesh. From May 14 onwards, APSRTC and TSRTC are set to function as two separate entites in the two States.
AP Transport Minister Sidda Raghava Rao, and his Telangana counterpart P Mahender Reddy appealed to the unions to withdraw the strike as the corporation is in losses. RTC incurred a loss of Rs 550 crore in 2014-15.
“We assured them that their problems will be solved by forming a sub-committee. People will be burdened if 43 per cent fitment is granted. The corporation incurs a loss of `one crore a day. I request them to call off the strike,” said Reddy.