HYDERABAD: Unfazed in the face of Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao’s fresh ultimatum to RTC workers to join duty by November 5, workers’ unions have decided to continue their strike till the government resolves the issue amicably. The union leaders claimed workers were not scared by the ultimatum, and were prepared to continue the strike. They advised the chief minister not to waste time pressurising workers, but to form a committee of ministers or officials to hold talks.
RTC JAC leaders, who met at the Telangana Mazdoor Union office here on Sunday, resolved to intensify their agitation and expose Rao’s alleged plan to arm-twist them into ending the strike. Speaking to the media later, RTC JAC convenor E Ashwathama Reddy, and co-convenors Thomas Reddy and Raji Reddy, alleged Rao was playing psychological games to weaken the confidence of workers by issuing yet another ultimatum. He has issued four ultimatums so far, they pointed out.
“The CM has failed to win the confidence of the workers. They will not get carried away by the CM’s rhetoric,” they claimed.
On Rao’s allegation that the unions inveigled the workers into the strike, Ashwathama Reddy said: “The decision to go on strike came from the workers themselves. We are just supporting the employees’ agitation. They decided to continue the strike. The CM is spreading lies to distance workers from union leaders.”
Finding fault with Rao for not initiating talks, Ashwathama Reddy sought to know how else the CM would resolve the issue. “If the government resolves all the workers’ issues, we are ready to wind up unions. On the one hand, the CM calls RTC workers his children, and on the other hand, he subjects them to difficulties,” he said.
He stated that in undivided AP, workers went on strike on KCR’s call, but such an act has now been termed illegal. “KCR has adopted an opportunistic stand,” he added.
Stating that privatisation of the TSRTC would affect the weaker sections of society as private companies would not implement reservation system in employment, he said, “SCs, STs and minorities would not get reservation in the corporation due to privatisation.”
He also sought to know what would happen to depots once the corporation is privatised. “Who will run the depots. What will happen to depot managers and staff?”
