HYDERABAD: Looks like there will be trouble at RTC depots on Tuesday. After the RTC management on Monday made it clear that its doors are closed to the employees even if they want to resume duty, the RTC JAC said they would make a bid to get back to work, come what may.
Earlier in the day, the RTC JAC said it had called off the strike, and RTC managing director in-charge Sunil Sharma then said the employees were not welcome to join duty.
“It is ridiculous that they could think that they could go on strike and join duty whenever they like,” he said, and made it clear that the only way forward was as the high court had directed — referring the issue to the labour commissioner. Immediately after it was announced that the strike was called off, the RTC in-charge MD said the corporation was not going to allow the employees back.
“The RTC JAC stated on the one hand that their agitation would continue, and on the other hand, they said they were calling off the strike and joining duty. Boycotting work as per their wish and joining duties again as per their choice never exists in any public-sector undertaking,” Sharma said.
He added that neither the RTC management nor the government asked them to go on strike, and the labour commissioner, as directed by the high court, would take a decision on the agitation.
“Everything will be done as per the rules,” Sharma stated and asked the employees to maintain restraint till then. He also warned them against creating trouble at bus depots on Tuesday and keeping the temporary drivers and conductors from doing their work.
‘We are ready to fill jails if govt refuses to let us work’
Earlier on Monday, Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao called on Governor Tamilisai Soundararajan at Raj Bhavan and discussed the RTC strike and the government’s stand on the issue. It was the first time that the chief minister met the Governor since the latter assumed office.
Rao presented her the government’s view in the wake of various political parties making representations to her for her intervention for resolution of the strike. The issue of allowing private operators on around 5,600 routes too came up in their discussion.
Meanwhile, Ashwathama Reddy said the employees were ready to fill the jails of Telangana if the police refused to let them resume work.
“The TSRTC is not their personal property that they can prevent us from joining back. If they bring in the police and prevent us from working, we are read for ‘jail bharo’,” he told TNIE.
He further stated that Sharma must be tried for contempt of court for calling the strike illegal.
“The MD conveniently stated that the strike is illegal, though the HC stated there is no question of legality of illegality. The MD also says we went on strike as per our wish without notice, but we want to tell him that we are not so unprofessional and lawless to not give a strike notice. We followed due procedure,” Ashwathama said. “All employees and workers should report for duty tomorrow,” he added.
Depots to get CCTV cams, trouble-makers will be caught: RTC
RTC in-charge MD Sunil Sharma said CCTV cameras would be set up at all depots to monitor the situation, and stern action would be taken against those violating the rules. He asked the striking staff to maintain restraint till the Labour Commission takes a decision as per the directions of the high court
If they stop us, all 48K staff are ready to go to jail: Ashwathama
RTC JAC convenor Ashwathama Reddy said the staff were ready to fill the jails of Telangana if they were not allowed to resume work. “If they... prevent us from working, we are ready for ‘jail bharo’. All 48,000 RTC staff will be in jails. If that is not enough, their wives and children too will sit in jail,” he said