Mumbai: Diwali travel plans of people in the State were severely affected on Tuesday after employees of the Maharashtra State Road Transport Corporation (MSRTC) went on an indefinite strike from midnight on Monday.
MSRTC officials said the corporation had sustained losses of nearly ₹19 crore due to the strike.
More than one lakh employees have gone on strike to demand a revised pay structure in accordance with the Seventh Pay Commission. The Commission recommended a 14% hike in salaries and 25% interim bonus.
Sandeep Shinde, president of the Maharashtra State Transport Workers’ Union, said the employees will not resume work till their demands are met.
Mr. Shinde and six other union representatives met Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Tuesday afternoon. The union leader said, “After we put forward our demands, the CM disagreed. But he concluded the meeting saying that a committee with two representatives from the union, the Transport Secretary and the Financial Corporation Officer of MSRTC shall be formed to negotiate the terms and arrive at a conclusion. I respect the CM’s decision, but we are not going to step back and are not ready to negotiate. All we need is the Seventh Pay Commission recommendations be followed.”
The strike, which started on the first day of Diwali, affected the holiday plans of many, and also caused trouble for those who commute between cities on a regular basis.
“I have to travel to Pune from Mumbai every one or two days, and the bus is the most convenient option. The strike came as a a big surprise to me, and has put me in a difficult situation. I have to get back to Mumbai within a day, which seems difficult now,” said Ameya Gore, a professor at the Film and Television Institute of India, Pune.
Mr. Shinde said he was aware of travellers’ problems. “We deeply apologise for this, but people need to realise that every year, we give up on celebrations and perform our duty, and are only asking for the money we deserve in return,” he said.
An MSRTC official said Transport Minister Diwakar Raote has said the State does not have sufficient funds to adopt the Seventh Pay Commission model, but that the government is open to negotiations.
An MSRTC spokesperson said, “We are sympathetic towards the employees. We completely understand their demand for a pay raise, but asking for the Seventh Pay Commission recommendations to be implemented is just being impractical. The CM has said the State does not have sufficient funds to revise the salary structure for government servants, and doing so for the corporation is even further away.”
Speaking about the losses sustained by the corporation, Deputy General Manager (Operations) Milind Band said, “Till 5 p.m. every day, we have an average of 51,187 trips. However, there were only 687 trips on Tuesday. The MSRTC has a daily turnover of ₹20 crore, which has taken a 98% hit due to the strike. People are struggling because of this, and that is not acceptable.”
The MSRTC has told the employees to resume work by Wednesday morning, failing which they will face strict action.
