BENGALURU: Transport Minister Laxman Savadi on Monday said that the government will soon decide on the road transport corporation (RTC) employees demand for salaries on par with the Sixth Pay Commission recommendations.
He asked them to call off their proposed strike on April 7.On Monday, CM BS Yediyurappa and Savadi, who is also the Deputy CM, held a meeting with senior officials to discuss the demands of the employees as well as alternative measures required to be taken to avoid any inconvenience to people, if employees go on strike. After the meeting, Savadi said the strike will cause inconvenience to people who have already faced hardships due to Covid-19. The strike will also impact corporations’ revenues, he added.
He said they have held several rounds of talks with the senior officials of the corporations and the departments concerned. An appropriate decision will be taken within a week after analysing financial implications, he said. “We are committed to protecting employees welfare and whenever the government decides on the pay revision, it will be with the retrospective effect from January 2020 and the employees will get arrears, “ he said.
In December last year, transport employees had resorted to strike. Savadi said the State Government has fulfilled eight of the nine demands.
Even as it makes efforts to convince the employees against going on strike again, the government is also making other arrangements. “A tender has been called to hire 1,500 private buses on rent. Many private operators had surrendered their permits during lockdown. Now, if the employees go on strike, free permits will be given to private operators to run services during those days,” he added.