With Dasara barely a week away, bus services across the state are likely to come to a standstill with major trade unions of the Telangana Road Transport Corporation announcing an indefinite state-wide strike beginning on October 5.
In a statement released to the media on Sunday, TSRTC Joint Action Committee (TSRTC-JAC) faulted the government for not paying heed to its demands.
The JAC’s principal demand is merger of the transport organisation with the State government.
The JAC also stated that it had given a strike notice with office-bearers also stating that they had approached the Labour Department, requesting it to convene a meeting with TSRTC management.
It alleged that no efforts were made to bring staff, workers and management on the same page.
‘Talks lack sincerity’
The JAC took the view that the negotiations with the Labour Commissioner on October 4 lacked sincerity by government in resolving the demands. The government tried to dilute the issue, it said. The list of 26 demands released to the media include pay revision pending from April 2017, job security for bus drivers and conductors, filling of vacancies, and the State government’s intervention in rising diesel prices. The JAC also announced that its members would sit on a day-long hunger strike on Monday and requested TSRTC’s around 51,000 workers to actively take part in the strike.
