Hyderabad: The employees’ unions of the Telangana State Road Transport Corporation (TGSRTC) have announced a state-wide indefinite strike starting May 6. They say the government has failed to address their long-standing issues.
The strike is being organized by the TGSRTC Joint Action Committee (JAC), which submitted a formal notice to the Labour Commissioner and TGSRTC Managing Director VC Sajjanar.
The unions have listed 21 key demands. One of the main demands is for the RTC employees to be merged into the state government system. They warned that if their demands are not met, they will stop work from May 7.
This planned strike would be the first major protest by RTC workers in the past five years. The union leaders are upset that the Congress-led government has not kept promises it made during the election campaign. They also said that even after 16 months in office, the government has shown no real effort to solve their problems.
The unions are demanding wage revisions, payment of pending dues, and timely salaries. They also complained about harsh working conditions, with many employees working 12 to 16 hours daily, which they say violates the Motor Transport Workers Act.
The protest also highlights issues faced by retired employees, such as unpaid arrears, incorrect pay scales, and lack of retirement benefits. The JAC is also unhappy about the growing use of electric buses run by private companies, saying this threatens public sector jobs and lacks job security for current workers.
Union leaders have warned that if the government does not respond soon, the protest will become more intense and spread across the entire state.
