The talks between the APSRTC Employees Union leaders and transport minister Botcha Satyanarayana on regularisation of contract employees and pay revision again failed on Wednesday, with both sides failing to come to a compromise. Following this the employees’ unions have decided to go ahead with their indefinite strike from July 5.
According to sources, the transport minister though agreed to consider both the demands of the employees failed to give any assurance to the union leaders. He agreed to regularise the services of the contract employees who have completed three years of service in a phased manner. Botcha advised the RTC management to consider the demands of the unions and also urged the unions to cooperate with the management in solving the problem. He said the government was in favour of helping the employees and would take steps in this regard. However, the RTC management adopted a adamant stance and refused to give written assurances to the union.
Botcha also met chief minister N Kiran Kumar Reddy at his camp office and discussed the issue with him.
APSRTC Employees’ Union general secretary Padmakar said the demands of the employees were genuine and the management should not have problem in accepting it. “The issue is between the management and the employees, but the management was involving the government and was making the issue complicated,’’ he remarked. Regularisation of contract workers was not a big issue and involving the government in the issue is just to sideline the issue, he alleged.
Though the contract workers were doing all the jobs on par with the regular employees they were drawing half the salary of the regular employees, he said and added that despite this being in the knowledge of the management it was not responding positively.
The union leader said the management has time to solve the issue till Thursday evening and if it fails to do so the employees’ will be forced to go on an indefinite strike.
It may be recalled that both APSRTC Employees Union and Telangana Mazdoor Union have served strike notices to the RTC management on the indefinite strike from July 5 demanding to solve their long-pending grievances.
Meanwhile, corporation managing director A K Khan urged the union leaders to reconsider their decision.
The CPI and TRS have extended their support to the RTC employees and assured of all possible help.