HYDERABAD: The contract employees of Hyderabad Metro Rail Limited (HMRL) on Tuesday staged a sit-in protest demanding a pay hike that has remained static over the last five years. The employees boycotted their duties and protested outside the Ameerpet Metro Station, which interrupted the offline ticketing services.
The employees, who are working as Ticketing and Cash Management Officers (TCMOs) complained that they have been working on a monthly salary of Rs 11,000 for the last five years, without any revision since then. The protest led to long queues of passengers in front of the ticketing counters at Ameerpet and other stations.
The employees' demands include a minimum monthly salary of Rs 20,000, yearly increments, leave and a free Metro travel facility for those working on night shifts. The present salary is not sufficient even to meet the basic needs, the protesting employees said, adding that they do not receive any benefits from the contracting agency or HMRL.
“We have been working for five years without a pay hike and have been cooperating with HMRL for smooth operation of Metro services. But, we have not got any benefits in return,” they said. Dismissing the protesters’ claims, the HMRL management issued a statement and said that a few ticketing staff under a contracting agency have connived and abstained from work purposefully to disrupt train operations, causing inconvenience to the passengers.
“They are also spreading rumours out of vested interests. Their claims are false and their actions are against the public interest, which will call for stern action by the HMRL. The management ensures facilities and benefits are given to the staff. The trains are now running normally and there is sufficient manpower,” the statement said.