COIMBATORE: Owing to acute shortage of staff, Tamil Nadu State Transport Corporation (TNSTC) in July decided to induct retired staff back into service in a desperate attempt to keep the buses on road. However, the move has received poor response from retired staff so far. Transport minister SS Sivasankaran has said steps would be taken to recruit more staff.
With recruitment frozen since 2015, vacancies of drivers, conductors, and technical staff posts mounted and started affecting day-to-day operations. To tide over the situation, the corporation came up with the idea of allocating work to retired employees, subject to their fitness. As per the announcement made by the TNSTC (Madurai) in July, retired staff, except those who took voluntary retirement, were invited to work as temporary staff for a month. Retired staff aged below 63 were asked to apply with a caution deposit of Rs 5,000 and for consolidated pay of Rs 600 per shift.
Official sources said not many showed interest to the offer.
K Arumuga Nainar, general secretary of Tamil Nadu State Transport Corporation affiliated to CITU said, “Out of 3,200 buses in Chennai Metropolitan Transport Corporation (MTC), only 2,600 - 2,700 are operated every day due to shortage of drivers and conductors. The current number of employees in eight corporations is 1,16,259 whereas the sanctioned strength is 1,44,818 posts for the operation of 20,127 buses. Due to the large number of vacancies, the corporation decided to induct retired staff. We oppose the plan and demand the filling of vacant posts at the earliest.”
As per employee unionists, due to vacancies in the corporation, the operation of bus services to village routes is being curtailed without prior information.
M Senthilkumar, a driver working in Tiruvannamalai said, “Drivers are forced to do double duty without proper rest. During festival seasons and holidays, drivers and conductors are working continuously which causes physical and mental stress. Until the vacancies are filled, passengers, especially in rural areas, will face difficulty as services would be curtailed.”
A senior officer in TNSTC Coimbatore said, “For the retired staff, we offer Rs 600 per shift and incentives. The option was open for the last two months. So far only nine retired staff have joined in Coimbatore.”
Speaking to TNIE, Transport Minister SS Sivasankar said, “To fill 685 staff in SETC, we have received 11,000 applications as of today (Thursday). The process, written test, skill test, and medical checkup of the applicants, will be completed in two months. After that 800 posts in other corporations will be filled in the next three months. Also, we are recruiting 250 staff under compassionate grounds.”
He slammed the AIADMK government for not conducting recruitment over a five-year period. “Amid the financial crisis, we are taking up the recruitment drive. Hereafter, year on year, recruitment will be conducted for the corporation,” Sivasankar said and added that only limited number of retired staff will be inducted as temporary staff till the completion of recruitment. Also, he denied unions’ claim of 28,599 vacancies.