There is no discrimination in the treatment being given by the State government to Secretariat and other government employees, working in Hyderabad, Visakhapatnam and elsewhere in A.P., relocating to Amaravathi, averred A.P. NGOs Association president P. Ashok Babu.
The apprehensions of preferential treatment to Secretariat employees was far from the truth, Mr. Babu told The Hindu when his attention was drawn to other sulking employees expressing their unwillingness to relocate to the new capital in view of the ‘discriminatory’ policies of the government.
Mr. Babu expressed this view on the sidelines of the two-day training programme for executive committee members, organised by the National Mazdoor Union (NMU) of A.P. State Road Transport Corporation (APSRTC), which concluded at the Platinum Jubilee Guest House of Andhra University on Tuesday.
Earlier, addressing the NMU delegates, Mr. Babu gave full credit to the RTC workers for his success in the trade union movement. “The popularity I got was due to your (RTC workers) participation in the Samaikhyandhra agitation.” The RTC strike brought the government on its knees as non-availability of RTC buses had affected movement of vegetables to the Rythu Bazaar, children to schools and employees to their offices.
The AP NGOs JAC comprised of 115 associations, representing all State government employees except electricity and RTC employees. The NGOs JAC in A.P. has no political affiliation just like the NMU. He commended the NMU leaders for introducing accidental death insurance of Rs.10 lakh to the dependents of RTC workers and for achieving 43 per cent fitment for workers.
Underlining the importance of training classes in any profession, Mr. Babu said that the younger generation of employees were unable to appreciate the trade union movement and its role in achieving the demands. Awareness should be created among them on the struggles of the trade union leaders in the past.
A good trade union leader should listen to the problems of workers, understand them and come out with solutions to overcome them. He also stressed on the need for development of second rung of leaders in the union.
NMU State general secretary Y. Srinivasa Rao called for greater coordination between the RTC management and workers to help the corporation tide over its losses as a result of bifurcation of the State.
NMU state president C. Chandraiah, chairman R.V.V.S.D. Prasad, working president P.V. Ramana Reddy and AP NGOs’ Association district president Eswara Rao were among those who participated.
